KENTUCKY — In a recent survey by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), an overwhelming majority of cancer patients said their health care has been impacted by the pandemic. Wednesday, the ACS CAN brought panelists together for a virtual forum to discuss policy that could improve health outcomes.

Lori Mangum of Gilda's Club Kentuckiana works with cancer patients and their families. She said the pandemic has added stress to an already difficult time for those families.

“I’ve seen fear really ruling the day for people who are impacted by cancer,” Mangum said.

Dr. Doug Flora of St. Elizabeth Healthcare said he has seen that fear as well, with some patients skipping out on coming in for much-needed care because of coronavirus concerns. He added that it's not just cancer patients. He has also seen a decrease in regular screenings, something he says is concerning because early detection is key.

“We know that late presentations of cancers have a different prognosis. Often, delays in diagnosis due to things like pandemics frighten us a little bit in terms of late presentation for patients who may have had early and treatable Stage 1 cancer now delaying care out of a disproportion of fear to seek care in hospitals right now,“ Flora said.

The ACS CAN asked cancer patients and survivors about how their care has been during the pandemic. 87 percent of respondents said it has been impacted in some way. 79 percent said they have experienced a delay in care.

During the forum Wednesday, panelists discussed ways to improve upon this. Flora stressed the importance of telling people to continue receiving their cancer screenings. Some advocates also suggested making this plea through PSAs. 

Republican Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-Winchester) who is also a physician, was involved in the forum. He took the time to highlight some of the positive work achieved through cancer prevention programs in the state. He said those programs are important, but maintaining the funding levels from last year could be a challenge.

“Right now a win is to maintain your funding in the budget because of what we are facing, a 10 percent shortfall,” Alvarado said.

The panel also discussed that Kentucky leads the nation in smoking and lung cancer deaths. Alvarado talked about policy efforts aimed at bringing those numbers down. He applauded the passage of the tobacco tax increase and a tobacco-free schools bill.

As for the next session, Alvarado said he wants to see the passage of smoke-free workplaces. It is something he tried to get passed last year, but failed. He admits, passing it this year seems unlikely.

Aside from policy changes, panelists say knowledge is power. They encourage all Kentuckians to talk to family and friends about the importance of screenings, receiving care even during the pandemic, and cessation.