About the Union County Cancer Coalition (UCCC)

Who we are: The Union County Cancer Coalition (UCCC) is a membership organization mandated and supported by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and devoted solely to cancer-related issues. Its mission is to implement the New Jersey Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan in Union County. 

What we do: The UCCC is performing its mission by:

• Establishing a visible presence and providing a strong voice for cancer awareness, control and prevention in Union County;

• Encouraging county residents to adopt healthy lifestyles and to obtain cancer-screening services, promptly, when these services are age and/or risk appropriate;
• Conducting targeted cancer-related projects and participating in many public events though the UCCC is educating county residents regarding the signs and risks of various types of cancer and providing information concerning where free cancer screenings can be obtained; and
• Forging partnerships with other county-based cancer stakeholders that are assisting the UCCC in conveying our cancer awareness, control and prevention messages to all county residents and most especially to the county’s medically underserved population.

Why we do it: The challenge of preventing and controlling cancer in Union County is daunting. From 1996 through 2000, an average of:

• 22 Union County residents died from cancer each week, and
• 52 new cancer cases were reported in this county per week.

Therefore, someone from Union County dies from cancer about every 8 hours and a new cancer case is diagnosed in the county approximately every 3 hours. Cancer can often be treated successfully, if detected early. In fact, your best protection is early detection. However, a disproportionately high percentage of Union County residents go without cancer screening services leading to delayed diagnosis and premature death merely because they are uninsured. In addition, some, possibly many, insured county residents are also delaying needed cancer thereby assuming these same risks. The UCCC’s cancer awareness, control and prevention efforts are designed to improve cancer screening rates and lower the county’s cancer burden.

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