Three members of NCC’s team headed out to communities in northern Nevada in March to connect with partners, share resources, and learn more about barriers that people living in rural communities face regarding healthcare. They also spent a day at the annual Elko Health and Fitness Fair—an event NCC loves to attend.

The trio—Prevention and Early Detection Programs Manager Lily Helzer, Outreach Coordinator Valerie Martinez, and Community Engagement Manager Sarah Grocki—returned to Reno energized and with a lot to share.

Students in rural communities across northern Nevada this month got an extra dose of sunshine—in the form of Sun Smart Schools. The students attended assemblies and classroom presentations on the sun safety and skin cancer prevention program from trained Nevada Cancer Coalition staff.

Students across all grade levels, from kindergarten through high school, participated in the presentations tailored to provide age-appropriate information. NCC’s Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Programs Manager, Lily Helzer, said teaching Nevada youth about sun safety is a priority.

Head and neck cancers are a category of cancers that can form in the oral cavity, throat, voice box, salivary glands, paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. They usually begin in the squamous cells that line the head and neck mucosal surfaces.

About 4% of cancers diagnosed in the U.S. are head and neck cancers, and incidence is increasing. More than 70,000 people will be diagnosed this year.

Nevada's Central Cancer Registry keeps data on cancer cases across the state and has provided data that we've formatted into charts to help you quickly digest the information.