The goal of this presentation is to inspire collaboration between distinct organizations based on examples set by the American Cancer Society, Southeast Division (ACS) and South Carolina’s State Health Department (SCDHEC). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDCP) Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP) provides funding for breast and cervical cancer screening for income eligible women. In South Carolina, the SC BCCEDP implements this program in collaboration with ACS. The SC BCCEDP utilizes community outreach workers to recruit women eligible for screening and re-screening, often through telephone communication. This telephone contact provided an opportunity to incorporate an ACS National Program of Work, the telephone reminder system Tell-A-Friend, into SC BCCEDP. Volunteers were recruited from existing ACS task forces and trained to use a modified version of Tell-a-Friend. In adapting this program to SC BCCEDP, several barriers and benefits were identified. One barrier was the development of the Tell-A-Friend data system. This system had to be compatible with both ACS and SC BCCEDP data systems. A second barrier encountered was development of SC BCCEDP patient confidentiality rules for ACS volunteers. One benefit experienced was the increased capacity of both ACS and SC BCCEDP through use of shared resources and staff. A second benefit experienced was the increase in the productivity of outreach workers. Also, ACS Tell-A-Friend volunteers were doing tangible and rewarding activities. This presentation describes the inter-organizational collaboration and how it was used to unite two entities towards a common goal.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: 1) Identify benefits and barriers to inter-organizational collaborations. 2) Outline tasks that enable inter-organizational collaboration. 3) Describe the processes used to tailor a set program to a specific community
Keywords: Cancer Screening, Collaboration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: American Cancer Society, Southeast Division and
South Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.