Cancer Registry achieves gold standard

CRANSTON – For the 30th consecutive year, the R.I Statewide Cancer Registry has been awarded the “gold standard” by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the national accrediting body.
Rhode Island met the highest standards in the accreditation criteria for data quality, completeness and timeliness.
The R.I. Statewide Cancer Registry is funded by the R.I. Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Program of Cancer Registries. It has been operating under the auspices of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island since 1986.
The registry collects data about occurrences of cancer diagnosed in Rhode Island residents. The data serves as a cornerstone to the state’s cancer surveillance and control efforts and aid cancer researchers. All hospitals in Rhode Island report to the Statewide Cancer Registry.
“The registrars based at health care providers and our central registry are constantly striving for the highest quality in their work, and we are proud of this recognition,” said David L. Rousseau, director of cancer information systems.
“The Statewide Cancer Registry is an important public health surveillance tool,” said Dr. Michael Fine, the director of the R.I. Department of Health. “I am proud of the state’s cancer registrars as well as the Health Department staff who have worked diligently for many years on the registry.”