The Yukon Government’s Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) oversees a Cancer Screening Program aimed at promoting early cancer detection among Yukoners. Early detection plays a critical role in improving treatment outcomes and overall population health.
An internationally recognized core component of organized cancer screening programs is the use of invitations to notify eligible individuals about their opportunity to participate in screening. Eligibility is typically determined using demographic factors such as age and sex. In many jurisdictions throughout Canada, personalized invitation letters are sent directly to individuals’ homes to encourage participation.
Currently, Yukon relies primarily on opportunistic screening, meaning that individuals are screened when they access healthcare services, rather than through an organized screening program. This initiative introduces a formal Cancer Screening Invitation to proactively identify and notify residents who meet eligibility criteria, inviting them to participate in cancer screening services provided by HSS and Yukon Hospital Corporation (YHC).
Implementing a cancer screening invitation for eligible individuals aligns Yukon with cancer screening best practices, providing a more systematic and equitable access to cancer screening. To identify eligible individuals, the program requires use and disclosure of personal health information (PHI). This PIA focuses on the PHI used throughout the invitation process. Other components of cancer
screening program, such as screening tests, follow-up care, and program management—are out of scope for this PIA. These downstream activities are existing programs and services provided by HSS and health system partners and are out-of-scope for this assessment.
