group of people in a circle looking down at the camera

Bizzell Supports Development of Comprehensive Report Addressing Smoking Cessation Treatment within Cancer Care Settings

Bizzell Supports Development of Comprehensive Report Addressing Smoking Cessation Treatment within Cancer Care Settings

 

July 27, 2022 (New Carrollton, MD) — The Bizzell Group is proud to provide direct support to the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, in the development of Tobacco Control Monograph 23—Treating Smoking in Cancer Patients: An Essential Component of Cancer Care. Released on June 29th, the monograph expands upon prior research from the 2014 and 2020 Surgeon General’s reports to inform clinicians and their patients with cancer about the science and practice of quitting smoking. The monograph also builds on recent findings from the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Moonshot℠ Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) program. “The monograph provides evidence that clinicians, public health practitioners, researchers, and patients with cancer can use to help influence real-world change in the treatment of patients with cancer who smoke. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with NCI and subject matter experts to produce a rigorous volume on such an important topic,” said Jenny Twesten, Managing Director of Health Communications & Research at Bizzell, who oversaw the editorial and publication support for the monograph.

Smoking cessation treatment is rarely addressed in cancer care settings, yet the research summarized in the monograph demonstrates that quitting smoking is among the most effective treatment options for improving the likelihood of survival, quality of life, and overall health of people with cancer who smoke. The monograph also provides clinicians with evidence-based strategies and treatment options they can implement to better address smoking with cancer patients.
“Monograph 23 leverages prior academic research to demonstrate that addressing smoking cessation within the cancer treatment protocol yields tremendous benefits. I am greatly appreciative of the rigorous development process led by the Federal staff, Scientific Editorial Committee, peer-review experts, and the Bizzell team” said Anton C. Bizzell, M.D., President and CEO of Bizzell.

To read the full monograph, please visit: cancercontrol.cancer.gov/monograph23

About Bizzell

The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) is a strategy, consulting, and technology firm that designs innovative solutions to help build healthy, secure, and sustainable communities in our nation and around the world. Bizzell leverages the combined experience of our diverse subject matter experts to develop data-driven, research-informed answers to the world’s most complex challenges—ensuring our clients achieve their vision and goals. Bizzell provides support to the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services through contract number HHSN261201700004I. For more information, visit: The Bizzell Group.

Suicide Prevention Awareness: “Creating hope through action.”

Suicide Prevention Awareness: “Creating hope through action.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and the 2nd leading cause of death in youth and young adults between the ages of 10-34 in the United States.These are startling statistics and highlight the importance of knowing the facts about suicide and suicide prevention. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions and false assumptions about suicide. To help those in crisis, everyone should take the time to learn the facts about suicide.

In this Psychology Today article, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, CEO of The Bizzell Group, debunks some of the common false assumptions about suicide, identifies the triggers for suicide, and shares actions you can take and things you can say if someone is considering suicide.

READ MORE: Suicide Prevention Awareness: “Creating hope through action”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Facts About Suicide. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/

Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Mental illness is stigmatized in the U.S. and even more among minority communities and communities of color both nationally and internationally.  To help combat the mental illness stigma, the U.S. House of Representatives designated July as “Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” to “enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.”  According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 50 percent of all Americans will be part of a minority group by 2044.  The total incidence of mental illness, mental health outcomes of racial/ethnic, gender and sexual minorities will be much worse, writes Dr. Anton C. Bizzell in “Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.,” published online in Psychology Today.

Racial and ethnic minorities have more to contend with when it comes to accepting and addressing mental health issues. “What’s done in this house, stays in this house” is a mantra heard by many minorities. Stress, substance abuse, unemployment or underemployment, incarceration, education, or lack thereof, shame and denial are all reasons that minorities and communities of color find themselves dealing with mental health related issues.  Everyone, especially communities of color, need to debunk the myths and stigmas associated with mental illness.  Seek help today

READ MORE: Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Mobile Clinics Tested as a Way to Treat Substance Use Disorders

Mobile Clinics Tested as a Way to Treat Substance Use Disorders

 

Mobile health units may be able to help manage HIV infections and opioid use disorder. A clinical trial, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, aims to determine mobile clinics’ effectiveness and usefulness in opioid use disorder treatment. The clinical trial will have 860 participants, for 26 weeks and in five cities—Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.  Researchers will evaluate whether these mobile health units will help people to treat opioid use disorder and prevent or receive care for HIV/AIDS.

“If they have HIV/AIDS, it can then be transferred to another person,” said Anton C. Bizzell, MD, a physician who advocates for addressing healthcare disparities and the chief executive order of the Bizzell Group, tells Verywell. “It’s also important to know that we can decrease the incidence of substance abuse, as well as infections that can occur.” People may be reluctant to access appropriate health care due to stigma and cost. Dr. Bizzell states that if you take the mobile clinics to where people live and work, they are more likely to receive care.

Read more: NIH-Funded Study Tests Mobile Clinics as a Way to Treat Substance Abuse

Image Source: Métraux, J. (2021). Verywell/LifeLineMobile [Online Picture]. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/study-investigates-if-mobile-clinics-will-help-people-with-opioid-use-disorder-5190855