Dear Friends,
We are committed to building a healthier future for every individual, family, and community in
Utah. Cancer remains one of the most serious health challenges we face. One in three Utahns
will be diagnosed during their lifetime, and it is the second leading cause of death in our state,
according to the Utah Cancer Registry. Every Utahn’s life will be touched by cancer in some
way.
The Utah State Cancer Plan provides a roadmap to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the
health of our communities. It reflects the combined efforts of healthcare providers, researchers,
public health leaders, survivors, and many others who are working together to make a difference.
The goals outlined in this plan will help prevent cancer, make sure people have access to high-
quality care, and support individuals and families through every stage of the cancer journey.
We have seen firsthand how this plan helps improve cancer prevention, screening, and treatment
across the state. In the past five years, our partners have installed sunscreen dispensers in 11
recreational areas to help prevent skin cancer; improved access to cancer screening for rural
Utahns through transportation and mobile screening services; and increased access to locally
grown, nutritious food that is critical for cancer prevention and treatment. We look forward to
seeing long-term results of these efforts, and seeing what changes are made in the next five
years.
We invite all Utahns to join in this effort. By making healthy choices, staying up to date with
screenings, and offering care and support to one another, we can lower the impact of cancer
across our state. Together, we look forward to a future where more Utahns live longer, healthier
lives.
Sincerely,
Spencer J. Cox,
Governor of Utah
We believe that every person deserves the opportunity to live a long, healthy life free from the burden of cancer. This five-year plan strengthens our collective commitment to reducing cancer’s impact through comprehensive action—advancing prevention, improving early detection, expanding access to quality care, supporting survivors, and addressing the challenges that influence outcomes.
By working together across communities, sectors, and systems, we can drive meaningful progress, uplift the health of all Utahns, and move confidently toward a future where cancer is more manageable and more effectively prevented, treated, and overcome.
Thank you for your help to move these goals forward!
The coalition is an active part of the Utah Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, housed in the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Every state currently receives funding from the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The program goals include community partnerships, prevention, screening, and survivorship support. Each program is required to have a coalition to ensure community partners are involved in program efforts.
Mission: Support efforts to reduce the cancer burden by using the State Cancer Plan to minimize cancer risk for all Utahns.
Vision: No Utahn will suffer unduly from cancer.
Health for everyone in cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship means ensuring that every person has a fair opportunity to stay healthy, detect cancer early, and live well during and after treatment. Many individuals face barriers such as cost, transportation challenges, language differences, or limited access to care. Promoting health for everyone means identifying and removing these barriers so that high-quality care is accessible and effective for all communities.
In prevention, health for everyone ensures that resources like vaccines, nutritious foods, and tobacco cessation programs reach the people and places that need them most. In screening, it means making tests affordable, convenient, and widely available, so cancers can be detected early. In survivorship, health for everyone focuses on supporting long-term health, through managing side effects, providing mental health care, and offering financial assistance, so that every survivor has the chance to thrive.
By placing health for everyone at the heart of cancer care, we can save more lives, ease suffering, and create a future where everyone has the same opportunity for lasting health and well-being.
Social drivers of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These factors—like income, education, housing, access to transportation, and safe neighborhoods—have a major impact on cancer risk and outcomes. They shape whether people can make healthy choices, get preventive care, and access treatment when needed.
When individuals lack access to these resources, we often see an increase in cancer-related morbidities and mortalities. For example, limited access to healthy food and safe places for physical activity can increase cancer risk factors. Lack of health insurance or reliable transportation can make it harder to get screenings or treatment on time. Stress from unsafe housing or unstable jobs can also affect overall health.
These same factors influence survivorship. People with fewer resources may struggle to afford follow-up visits, manage long-term side effects, or get emotional support after treatment. Addressing social drivers of health helps ensure that everyone has the opportunity to lower their risk, detect cancer early, and recover well after treatment.
This resource page brings together trusted information and tools to support cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship. Here you will find guides on healthy living, programs that make screenings easier to access, and services that help people during and after treatment.
The page also connects you to local and national organizations that offer support, education, and financial or emotional help. Whether you are looking to lower your risk, get screened on time, or find resources for life after cancer, this page is designed to make it simple to find the help you need.
The Utah Cancer Coalition led the development of this State Cancer Plan, which is required by the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The coalition looked through data sources and aquired input from subect matter experts to map out the current state of cancer in Utah, reflected in the Data section, and topic Benchmarks.
The coalition gathered intervention ideas, which were sorted into three categories: Promote, Partner and Policy. Interventions were vetted for evidence-base and feasability. These ideas will form the backbone of future work plans for the Utah Comprehensive Cancer Control program and the Utah Cancer Coalition.
Thank you to the partners of the Utah Cancer Coalition!
- Alliance Community Services
- American Cancer Society
- American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
- American Childhood Cancer Organization
- American Liver Foundation
- Association for Utah Community Health
- Bee the Hope
- Bioada
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
- Brigham Young University
- Blood Cancer United
- Cancer Survivors
- Central Utah Health Department
- Exact Sciences
- Genentech
- Get Healthy Utah
- Healthy West Valley
- Henrietta Lacks House
- Hiatt Advisory Services
- Huntsman Cancer Institute
- Center for HOPE
- Mountain West Cancer Collaborative
- Mountain West HPV Vaccination Coalition
- Ink Against Cancer Foundation
- Intermountain Health
- Lilly Oncology
- Radsite
- Rural Health Association of Utah
- Salt Lake Community College
- Southwest Utah Community Health Center
- Survivor Wellness (Cancer Wellness House)
- Susan G. Komen
- The Utah Radon Coalition
- TreeUtah
- University of Utah Health
- Utah Cancer Registry
- Utah County Health Department
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services
- Just KozS LLC
- Breast & Cervical Cancer Program
- Comprehensive Cancer Program
- Environmental Public Health Tracking
- HEAL Program: Healthy Environments Active Living
- Oral Health Program
- Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
- Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Utah Ovarian Cancer Alliance
- Utah Public Health Association
- UtahRadon.org
- Wasatch County Health Department
- Wolf Haven Foundation
Thank you for taking time to learn about the important efforts our program is taking around cancer prevention, access to screening and early treatment, and cancer survivorship.
If you would like to get involved please sign up here or contact us at:
Utah Cancer Coalition Email
utahcancercoalition@gmail.com
Michelle Swapp, MCHES, Program Coordinator
michelleswapp@utah.gov
Danielle Forbes, CHES, Coalition Coordinator
dforbes@utah.gov