A free public presentation and panel discussion, Cancer in Iowa: 99 Counties Project, focusing on Webster County, will be held from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Resource Center of Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge campus.

The Cancer in Iowa: 99 Counties Project is a statewide public health initiative designed to enhance cancer education and community engagement across Iowa.

Reports presented during each county meeting include information about rates of new cancers and cancer deaths, along with risk factor data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Community members, public health officials, healthcare professionals, community leaders and policymakers are encouraged to attend either in person or online to learn more about cancer trends affecting Webster County, and participate in a community discussion focused on improving local cancer outcomes.

Dr. Mary Charlton, director of the Iowa Cancer Registry and professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, will present the latest county-specific cancer data, with a focus on Webster County.

The presentation will include information about cancer incidence, mortality rates, and cancer-related risk factors in Webster County, compared to state and national data.

After the county-specific data presentation, there will be a panel discussion. Leah Glasgo, market president at UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge, will serve as emcee.

Other panelists include, Dr. Kelli Wallace, chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge; Colleen Fowle, water program director at Iowa Environmental Council; and Sara Kingland, breast cancer survivor and Fort Dodge area resident.

This event is sponsored by the Iowa Cancer Registry and the University of Iowa College of Public Health, in collaboration with the Iowa Cancer Consortium, University of Iowa Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa Rural Health Association, and UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge.

“UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge is proud to support this event and bring important information to our community as we continue to encourage cancer screenings and raise awareness about cancer risk factors and prevention,” Glasgo said.

According to Glasgo, Iowa has the second highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in the United States, following Kentucky. Iowa cancer rates are 14% higher than the national rate.

Iowa is one of the only states where cancer rates are actively rising.

“Iowa has the 23rd highest rate of cancer death in the U.S., which is 3 percent higher than the U.S. rate,” she added.

Webster County ranks No. 63 for new cancer rates in Iowa, with No. 1 as the highest and No. 99 as the lowest. “On average, 84 people die of cancer each year in Webster County,” Glasgo said.

The top cancers in Webster County, in order of incidence rate per 100,000 people, are prostate cancer, female breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and bladder cancer, she said.

“That’s why we believe that Iowans and Webster County residents should be concerned about cancer,” Glasgo said. “And not only prevention, but also early detection.”

“Unity Point has been focused over the last several years in encouraging people to get their lung cancer screening, their colonoscopies, do their mammograms, all of those things that we know can catch cancers early,” she said. “We know that the treatment pathway is faster and there are not as many downstream health impacts, when detection occurs early.”

Attendees at the upcoming presentation will have the opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns and share ideas about cancer prevention, education, and medical care for cancer patients in the community.

The event will also include some discussion about possible reasons why cancer rates in Iowa and Webster County have been rising in recent years.

“There will be some information about what we believe to be causing cancers in the county,” Glasgo said. “I’m really excited for the speakers that we have on the panel who can address this issue.”

Fowle, for example, is the Iowa Environmental Council’s water program director.

“So, we know there’s going to be questions about water quality and cancer rates,” Glasgo said.

In-person participants will be provided a complimentary box lunch during the presentation.

Anyone who is interested in attending the event in person or online needs to register by June 22. For registration information, see https://iowacancerconsortium.wildapricot.org/event-6697832.