OTTAWA, ON -
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) welcomes today’s relaunch of Canada’s preventive health external advisory body, now called the National Advisory Committee on Preventive Health Services (NACPHS). The NACPHS plays a critical role in shaping decisions about cancer screening and disease prevention across Canada, providing evidence-based guidance to primary care providers and ensuring outdated guidelines are updated in a timely way.
Formerly known as the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, CCS applauds the relaunch as part of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s efforts to reform and revitalize this important work. It reflects many months of thoughtful engagement to bring together diverse visions into a stronger, more inclusive external advisory body — one poised to move forward and deepen trust with advocates, experts and the Canadian public. CCS was proud to contribute to this process, bringing the needs and voices of people affected by cancer to the forefront.
For the first time, people with lived experience will be able to take on a formal role on the NACPHS and participate in decision making at every level, rather than being limited to an advisory role. By sitting as members of the decision-making body, these individuals can inform health guidance through their real-world experiences, an approach CCS has consistently advocated for throughout the reform process.
“Trusted health guidance helps people and healthcare providers make informed decisions that can lead to earlier detection of diseases like cancer, or prevent them altogether,” says Andrea Seale, CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society. “We’re encouraged to see a committee with the renewed foundation needed to chart a clear path forward, delivering guidance that reflects the latest evidence while keeping people at the heart of every decision.”
CCS is particularly pleased to see that many of its recommendations have been reflected in the NACPHS, including substantially strengthening the role for cancer experts and people with lived and living experience, enhancing collaboration with provinces and territories, and embracing a modernized mandate. CCS is hopeful that future work led by the committee will be grounded in their mandate of person-centred policies and apply a health equity lens intentionally.
“As the NACPHS gets to work, there is an urgent need to address a significant backlog of preventive health and cancer screening guidelines, many of which are now more than a decade out of date,” adds Seale. “Prioritizing the guidance people need most is critical to improving health outcomes across Canada.”
CCS looks forward to collaborating with the NACPHS as it begins this next chapter, and to supporting its work to deliver timely, evidence-informed and equitable preventive health guidance for people in Canada. CCS is looking to the federal government to ensure that the NACPHS has sustainable funding levels to fulfill its mandate.
About the Canadian Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society works tirelessly to save lives, improve lives and drive collective action against cancer. Together with patients, volunteers, donors and communities across the country, we raise funds to invest in transformative cancer research, we provide a caring support system for everyone affected by cancer and we advocate to governments to create a healthier future for all. It takes a society to take on cancer – and the Canadian Cancer Society is leading the way. Help us make a difference. Call 1-888-939-3333 or visit cancer.ca today.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Jessica Abdilla
Communications Manager
jessica.abdilla@cancer.ca
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