ST. CROIX — Acting Department of Health Commissioner Michelle S. Davis announced today that the Virgin Islands Central Cancer Registry — following a 2014 $418,000 federal grant — went live today.
“The Central Cancer Registry started the longtime expected cancer incidence data collection for cases diagnosed on January 1st, 2016 and after,” Ms. Davis said. “This registry is an epidemiologic surveillance system designed to collect the information regarding incidence, distribution, risk factors and mortality of cancer.
The acting commissioner described the registry as “essential to the public, health professionals, researchers, the medical community, and policy makers to understand and address the cancer burden in the territory,” which will be maintained under D.O.H.’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program, according to the release.
The cancer registry currently collects information from several sources: hospitals in St. Thomas and St. Croix, pathology laboratories (both in and island off island), hospice care centers, ambulatory surgery centers, free-standing chemotherapy clinics and physicians. It also has agreements with other state central cancer registries to obtain information on U.S.V.I. residents who are diagnosed with or receive treatment for cancer in those states, according to the release.
“The Virgin Islands Central Cancer Registry was initiated several years ago, however, it was not until January 2016 that all components came together to take it online and to garner full participation by providers in the territory. I am happy to report to the governor, the 31st Legislature and the people of the Virgin Islands that this registry is fully functional and currently collecting data as intended,” Ms. Davis concluded.
Tags: cancer registry, us virgin islands
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