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[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Moving from temporary to sustainable access to cervical and breast screening for Vietnamese American women

Thoa Nguyen1, Lourie Campos, MPA2, Julie Shaver, MPH3, Douglas Metz, DPM, MPH4, Ching C. Wong1, Stephen J. McPhee, MD5, Ky Q. Lai, MD, MPH1, Hiep T. Doan, MD6, Tung T. Nguyen, MD7, Hy Lam8, and Jeremiah Mock, MSc, PhD9. (1) Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, University of California, San Francisco, 44 Page Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 476-0557, thoa@itsa.ucsf.edu, (2) Community Health Partnership, POBox 21940, San Jose, CA 95151, (3) American Cancer Society, 1715 South Bascom, Campbell, CA 95008, (4) Asian Americans for Community Involvement, 2400 Moorpark Ave. Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95128, (5) Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 44 Page Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102, (6) Northern California Cancer Center, Vietnamese Colon Health Project, 32960 Alvarado-Niles Rd., Ste. 600, Union City, CA 94587, (7) Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0320, San Francisco, CA 94143, (8) Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, University of California, SF, 44 Page St. Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102, (9) Division of General Internal Medicine, Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, University of California, San Francisco, 44 Page St, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102

Objectives: As part of a REACH 2010 project, we sought to reestablish a Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) site to provide access to screening for uninsured or under-insured, low income Vietnamese American women in Santa Clara County, California.

Methods: Over a 3 year period, we organized a coalition of community-based organizations, health care providers and insurers serving the Vietnamese, collected 2748 petitions about the need for screening services from community members, sponsored a temporary “stop gap” Vietnamese language screening clinic, and held a series of meetings between coalition members and state health officials

Results: Between 9/01 and 11/03, 462 Vietnamese women received cervical screening at the temporary clinic. In 6/03, the Cancer Detection Section of the State of California organized the “Every Woman Counts” program to provide BCCCP access in Santa Clara County and elsewhere. There are 6 new BCCCP providers in Santa Clara County and an additional 11 in the surrounding regions. These sites provide screening not only for Vietnamese, but for low income women of all ethnicities. Our REACH media campaign now advertises a 1-800 telephone number for the EWC program, and refers Vietnamese women who need Pap tests to these sites.

Conclusions: Researchers, community-based organizations, health care providers and insurers, and community members working together can bring about change in the health care delivery system to bring screening services to low income women in a sustainable manner.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Asian Americans, Advocacy

Related Web page: www.healthisgold.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, UCSF
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.

[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Cancer Control among Asian Americans: Advances and Challenges

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA