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The Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Network

Why was the Network formed?

There are an estimated nearly 11 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. today, and an estimated 120,000 survivors live in Connecticut. Each survivor requires specialized care from trained professionals, and specialized needs can vary widely. The long-term effects, or late effects, of cancer and cancer treatment can cause severe personal burdens to survivors and complicated stresses on the Connecticut health care system. Both these personal burdens and systemic stresses can be avoided through quality survivorship care. Survivorship care is about meeting the needs of survivors through planning, prevention, awareness, and development. The Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Network was created to serve the needs of survivors in the state of Connecticut. It is a network of hospitals and care providers in the state that offer specialized care for cancer survivors. It was created because there are so many resources available to survivors right in their own backyards, but too many survivors are unaware of the resources and their proximity.

What is the Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Network?

The Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Network is a network of health care providers across the state of Connecticut specializing in cancer survivorship care. It includes all survivorship programs and organizations throughout the state of Connecticut that serve Connecticut survivors. The Network is growing and our Network Members offer the specialized support that cancer survivors need. As a group, the CT Challenge Survivorship Network is committed to ensuring that quality care is accessible to cancer survivors no matter where they live in Connecticut.

The CT Challenge educates survivors about the issues relevant to them and steers survivors towards the CT Challenge Network members appropriate and convenient to them, so each survivor in Connecticut can find the specialized care they need in local areas. The CT Challenge team also educates hospitals and providers on issues central to survivorship care in Connecticut. It is a resource for providers as scope and depth of survivorship care is expanded across the state.

How does the Network help Connecticut Survivors?

• New information about issues pertinent to all phases and types of survivorship
• Relevant information about the many resources available to survivors in Connecticut
• Help in improving survivorship planning and care
• Calendar of available survivorship-related events