Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Dorothy Weston Gibbons, BA, The Rose, 12700 North Featherwood, Houston, TX 77034 and Ginny Thompson, MPH, CHES, The National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd. Box 229, Houston, TX 77030, 713.795.0988 x 7255, gthompson@mdanderson.org.

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for U.S. women. Early detection offers the best chance for survival, yet access to breast health services for the working poor is at best difficult, and sometimes impossible. Thirty-one percent (1.1 million) of Houston's population are uninsured, leaving thousands of uninsured women without timely access to care. Interventions: To help find solutions to this problem, the first of two large-scale collaborative conferences on increasing access to breast health services was held April 2005. The conference provided a background on the gaps in breast health services, successful patient navigation practices and the need for better communication between breast health providers. Interest generated from the first conference led to the need for a second conference held May 2006. Building on the results, the second conference included an overview of legislative advocacy issues, feedback on user needs for a Web-based breast health resource and the introduction of the breast health collaborative. Outcomes/results: The conferences brought together approximately 400 breast health providers and community members, representing more than 65 organizations from over 10 counties. Approximately 50 people indicated a desire to help with future collaborative projects to address the breast cancer needs of the uninsured. Conference results included 1) healthcare leaders collaborating and contributing resources to develop an interactive Web-based breast health resource directory for the public, healthcare organizations, and policymakers; 2) forming a breast health collaborative consisting of representatives of breast health organizations reaching the underserved.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will
• be informed of the process used to identify the gaps in breast health services in the Houston area,
• identify the methodology to create a conference focusing on access issues for uninsured breast cancer patients,
• discuss the strategies used to develop a collaborative comprised of community representatives and healthcare leaders.

Keywords: Access and Services, Breast Cancer

Related Web page: www.the-rose.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation