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National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

The Joint Commission Launches New Brand Identity

The Joint Commission has a new website! The website reflects The Joint Commission’s new brand and logo, as well as its new tagline, “Helping Health Care Organizations Help Patients.” According to the Joint Commission, the new brand reflects The Joint Commission’s continuing efforts to improve the value of accreditation and its utility as a mechanism for improving the quality and safety of patient care.  If you have questions about the new brand or suggestions for further improving The Joint Commission’s accreditation activities, you can send an e-mail to Brand@jointcommission.org. The "Jayco" extranet also has a new name - The Joint Commission Connect.   Click http://www.jointcommission.org to access the new Joint Commission website. Joint Commission accredited and certified organizations can click here to download the new Gold Seal of Approval.

Cancer Deaths Drop for Second Consecutive Year

According to the American Cancer Society and results published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, cancer deaths are down again for a second year in a row. The rate of declining deaths is 0.54%. For 2004, the most recent year fo enr which cancer deaths in the United States have been calculated, deaths are down by 0.54%. This translates into 3,014 fewer deaths than in 2003. In 2003 there were 369 fewer deaths from cancer in the U.S than in 2002. Although a downward trend in deaths iscouraging, there are an overall estimated 1,444,920 new cases of cancer in the U.S. this year. It is also estimated that over 550,000 individuals will die from the disease within the year. Other published findings regarding cancer incidence in the U.S. include the following:

          • Lung cancer remains the most deadly of cancers.
          • The majority of declines in death from 2004 to 2003 were in colorectal cancer, female breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer in males.
          • Mortality from cancer increased from 2003 to 2004 among the liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and esophageal cancer among men.
          • Cancer remains the second leading cause of deaths among Americans, exceeded only by heart disease.
          • The accompanying “Facts and Figures Report” indicates that one-third of all cancer-related deaths is caused by smoking, and another one-third is associated with diet and exercise.
          • For individuals who do not smoke, the most important steps they can make in reducing the risk of cancer are eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables and incorporating physical exercise into their life.

    Cancer deaths continue to drop for a second year in a row. However, keeping in mind that the percentage of this drop is less than 1%, individuals can take matters into their own hands to help further reduce this risk through smoking cessation, diets high in fruits and vegetables, physical activity, maintaining a healthy body weight, and undergoing screening procedures.
    Reference: Jemal A, et al. Cancer Statistics 2007. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2007;57:43-66.