Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy Endorses Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and their Families

    WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy (www.childrenscause.org) has endorsed the Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and their families that were published in a 2015 special issue of Pediatric Blood and Cancer. The scientific, evidence-based psychosocial standards define a minimum level of care that all children with cancer and their families should receive. The Standards were developed following rigorous research and academic requirements and processes, and involved over 80 clinicians and researchers from the US, Canada and the Netherlands.

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation spearheaded the effort to create and implement Standards of Care to ensure patients and families have access to a minimum level of psychosocial care from the time of diagnosis, through survivorship, or end of life and bereavement care. "Having our child diagnosed with cancer, undergo treatment, and die from this disease, we learned that childhood cancer is not just about the medicine! The psychological impact of childhood cancer is just as real as the physical consequences for patients and their families," said Vicki Sardi-Brown, Co-Founder of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation.

The Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy (CCCA) is the leading national advocacy organization working to achieve access to less toxic and more effective pediatric cancer therapies; to expand resources for research and specialized care; and to address the unique needs and challenges of childhood cancer survivors and their families. CCCA leads efforts to ensure that these needs and perspectives of children with cancer are integrated into the highest deliberations on health care and cancer policy at the Federal level.

"The Children's Cause is focused on improving outcomes for children with cancer across the full spectrum of care, from diagnosis to life-long survivorship and from treatment protocols to emotional well-being," said George Dahlman, CEO of CCCA. "We've seen the painful realities of depression, anxiety, and social isolation in these kids, and we thank the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation for their groundbreaking work in this arena."

The development of the Psychosocial Standards of Care is a major step forward in addressing the needs of children with cancer and their families. The integration of psychosocial care along with disease-directed treatment improves the quality of life across the cancer trajectory. Depression and other psychosocial concerns can affect adherence to treatment regimens and decrease coping abilities. Therefore, making psychosocial care as essential component of standard treatment maximizes positive treatment outcomes.

The Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy (CCCA), founded in 1999 as The Children's Cause, Inc., was established to take a leadership role in advocacy and training on national issues affecting childhood cancer. The organization's mission is to accelerate availability and access to innovative therapies that are safer and more effective in the treatment, prevention and follow-up of childhood cancer. CCCA acts a catalyst to stimulate pediatric drug discovery and development and to help ensure care for survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer, a population expected to reach 500,000 by 2020.

Now that the Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and Their Families have been published, The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation and the team of pediatric oncology experts, advocates, policy and lawmakers, along with health insurers and accrediting associations, will work to encourage the rapid adoption of the Standards in clinical sites throughout the country. Learn more at www.mattiemiracle.com/standards.

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity founded in the memory of Mattie Brown, who died at age 7 from Osteosarcoma, a type of childhood cancer. Mattie Miracle is dedicated to increasing childhood cancer awareness, education, advocacy, research and psychosocial support services to children, their families, and medical personnel. Children and their families will be supported throughout the cancer treatment journey, to ensure access to quality psychosocial and mental health care, and to enable children to cope with cancer so they can lead happy and productive lives.

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