January is National Radon Action Month, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Radon Education Program is offering educational presentations at various locations across the state. Free test kits for homes will also be available at the presentations.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids released a national report this week challenging states to step up their tobacco prevention and cessation funding to reduce tobacco use by youth. According to the report, Nevada ranks 42nd in funding programs, spending just $1 million per year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs which is just 3.3% of what the CDC recommends, and just 0.7% of the total revenue the state earns from the tobacco MSA funds and tobacco taxes.

Between the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday shopping, an important bit of Executive Branch news flew under the radar last week. After being passed earlier in the year by both the House and the Senate, President Obama signed the Sunscreen Innovation Act into law on Nov. 29. The law is intended to clear the more than decade-long backlog of sunscreen ingredients awaiting FDA approval. Some ingredients awaiting this approval are more effective at blocking UVA rays from the sun, and most have been in use in Europe for years.

We're excited to announce a new position at the Nevada Cancer Coalition: Project Coordinator. There are so many opportunities to help increase cancer screening throughout Nevada and contribute to cancer prevention efforts and collaboration between our many partners that we need to bring our head count to three. The ideal candidate will have a passion for cancer prevention and control; a spirit for coordinating diverse teams of people; and the drive to make positive changes in our state. Current projects include breast cancer, teen tobacco prevention and smoke-free meetings.

The message is out there: the single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season. You may have heard it on the news: flu vaccine is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older.

Everyone? What about cancer patients and survivors? The short answer is, yes. The longer answer is that while having cancer doesn’t put one at increased risk for getting the flu, cancer patients and survivors have an increased risk of complications from the flu virus, which can include pneumonia, hospitalization, and even death.

While youth advocacy is an important part of tobacco prevention initiatives, sometimes it takes an adult role model who knows precisely the dangers of tobacco use to really drive home the message. In 2013, through a grant from the State’s Comprehensive Cancer Control program, NCC hosted the Tobacco Free Teens Project, an in-person presentation with former teen tobacco user and oral cancer survivor Gruen Von Behrens. The project took Von Behrens to 11 rural Nevada middle and high schools to speak to more than 4,000 youth about the very real, not always distant future impacts of tobacco use.

Last week the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network released the 2014 version of their annual “How Do You Measure Up?,” (HDYMU) a progress report on state legislative activity to reduce cancer incidence and mortality. Since Nevada’s lawmakers only meet every other year, Nevada hasn’t seen much progress from the 2013 report to now. However, we think it’s great to take a look at what has changed with the rollout of the insurance provisions of the Affordable Care Act as well as how Nevada now stacks up against other states.

23rd Anniversary. It's a bit of an odd milestone to celebrate, when compared to the more rounded numbers 20 or 25.