The plan is done! Now what? Lessons learned from the Minnesota

Cancer Alliance

Jane Korn, MD, MPH, Director Minnesota CCC Program

A Brief History

2002 2005 2007 2009 2010 2011

CDC Funding

Plan Launch

“Uber” Priority

Begin Updating

Plan 2 Complete

I M P L E M E N T A T I O N A C T I V I T I E S

Plan 2 Release

Minnesota Cancer Alliance

formalized

Carry out activities

Develop/Update

Plan

Select “priorities”

Program of perpetual planning?

CDC Building Blocks for Comprehensive Cancer Control

Utilize data&

research

Assess &address burden

Build Partner-

ships

Conduct evaluation

Enhance infra-

structure

Mobilize support

CCC Planning Process

Set optimal objectives – data driven

Determine possible strategies - science driven

Plan feasible activities - capacity driven

Implement - outcome driven

Setting Priorities

Members/Participants/SC asked:

“If we could only work on 3 things from this plan in the next couple of years, what should they be?”

Plan Launch: 4 priority areas

Tobacco policy Colorectal cancer

screening Access to Information Cancer-related

disparities

Formalizing the Alliance

• New purpose – to guide implementation

• New infrastructure – by-laws

• New Steering Committee

• New identity - branding

• New website - communications

Action Planning.v1

• Task forces coalesced around 4 areas

• Task forces developed projects/project teams based on MCA strategies

• Expectation set to develop a work plan or a logic model for each project

MIXED RESULTS

Alliance “Projects”

Periodic evaluation

• General member surveys• Key informant interviews• Staff and Steering

Committee “SWOT” analyses• Year-end reports

Strengths Weaknesses

• Broad interests represented among members

• New partnerships forged

• Increasingly engaged steering committee

• Early, tangible successes

• Understaffed• Underfunded• Expectations of

members not clear enough

• “usual suspects” only• Lack of clarity around

the word “priority”

Opportunities Threats

• Many member-based initiatives in good alignment

• Statewide QI initiatives line up well with plan

• Small amounts of funding available to jump-start projects

• Waning support from member organizations

• Waning interest among participants

• Limits of volunteerism• Fiscal realities• Mismatch between

expectations and deliverables

Updated plan – still a framework

• Same overarching goals

• 23 objectives• More measures• 67 strategies

• Short term focus areas (not in plan)

Action Planning.v2

• All projects will have “project charters”

• All chartered projects will have work plans which include resource plans and clear outputs/outcomes

• Staff will concentrate efforts on focus area projects

• Special interest groups will be created/maintained to support networking

Final thoughts

• Recruit strong, involved leaders

• Set clear expectations

• Make sure implementation plans address resources and sustainability

• Don’t take on more than you can support

• Be realistic

• Celebrate successes

Thank you