Community Cancer Support Network
The Community Cancer Support Network (CCSN) is a provincial initiative which began through the former Alberta Cancer Board and includes over 600 members across Alberta and beyond. Our members are health professionals across the spectrum of cancer care and our mandate is to support healthcare professionals who care for cancer patients wherever the patient may be in the province.
Our Goal: To improve access to quality supportive care services for people living with cancer and their caregivers. We do this by supporting those who provide direct patient care, with innovative educational initiatives, information sharing, virtual networking, and partnering.
What can we do for you?
The Network keeps you informed of upcoming educational opportunities (both for health professional and patients), resources to help you in your everyday practice, and produces four e-newsletters each year which will help you to see some of the cancer education, initiatives, and research being done in Alberta. As we are a multidisciplinary network, our presentations and newsletters tend to have items of broad interest to all cancer care providers (pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, physicians, social workers, speech language pathologists, psychologists, spiritual care, etc.).
We strive to be a resource to health care providers, including those who do not work with cancer patients on a full-time, consistent basis in providing continuing education and resources so that they can be confident and competent to provide the best care possible to cancer patients. We work to connect health care providers with experts in the oncology field to provide mentoring and support in oncology practice.
If you have any oncology related questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Current Activities
- CCSN Telehealth Rounds & Research in Practice Rounds -Telehealth rounds organized to promote capacity building and support the knowledge sharing of care providers across Alberta. Topics reflect multidisciplinary supportive cancer care and the latest research developments as useful tips to use in your everyday practice. Contact Glenda Armstrong for more information on upcoming sessions.
- CCSN Newsletter - quarterly newsletter circulated to all Community Cancer Support Networks members. Aimed to link providers and share knowledge regarding supportive cancer care in Alberta .
- E-mail Communication Group – Confidential e-mail list serve to link providers and share information regarding supportive cancer care in Alberta. To join the list serve, please contact Glenda Armstrong
- Workshops
- Cancer Associated Lymphedema Management Workshop - A two day workshop developed by Janice Yurick and Margie McNeely of the Cross Cancer Institute to address the management of Cancer Associated Lymphedema.
- Interface Projects - Local projects funded by the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society to improve collaboration between key stakeholders and strengthen links between supportive cancer care services, cancer centres, health centres, family physicians, community resources, and other providers. The ultimate goal of these projects is to support local “grassroots”ideas so that patients have access to better cancer care wherever they live in Alberta.
