With impressive accomplishments from our past, we move into 2010 eager to take our next steps for MCA. This year our activites will focus in three primary directions: 1. Revising the Cancer Plan, 2. Beginning to strategize for resource planning and 3. Moving forward on work undertaken in 2009. It is an ambitious agenda and work has begun on all three fronts.

The revision of the Plan is well underway as we have held meetings and conducted member surveys to reexamine objectives and strategies for the Plan chapters. We have focused first on Detection, Treatment and Quality of Life and in spring will re-assess Prevention, Data and Evaluation and Health Disparities. In the fall we will hold an Alliance-wide meeting to present a draft of the revision with the intention of having our revised plan ready in 2011.

Discussions for Resource Planning have begun as well. These will continue through the year as we strategize how best to position ourselves to identify needed resources as we plan projects and arenas where funds or other resources might be found. The goal is to create an infrastructure to support our good ideas.

We will also continue and see to fruition the work that has been underway. We will continue our focus on Colorectal Cancer and the work of the Round Table.  We will continue to explore how best to meet the needs of the underserved.  We will further assist those that have developed the Cancer Survivor Plan in their dissemination efforts. We have also committed to helping support (in conjunction with NCI) a two day seminar aimed at providers working with cancer survivors.  Finally, we have committed to supporting another round of mini grants in 2010.  We have been amazed at the accomplishments of those who received support though this mechanism in the first round and want to repeat the opportunity.

I look forward to an exciting and productive year as we work to move the MCA “somewhat higher.”