Developing a REACH US community action plan to eliminate breast and cervical cancer disparities: Outcomes of a six-state collaboration

Background: Despite scientific advances, African Americans continue to bear an unequal burden of breast and cervical cancer. To address these disparities, in 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health across the US (REACH US) project, national, multilevel programs that serve as the cornerstone of CDC's efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health through community based programs and culturally-appropriate interventions.

Objective: Under the auspice of The University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Mid-South REACH US Center of Excellence to Eliminate Disparities (CEED) is actively collaborating with national, state, and local partners in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee to develop a comprehensive, multilevel Community Action Plan/Model that incorporates evidence-based and promising practices to address disparities in breast and cervical cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship.

Results: As a result of working with dedicated national partners such as the American Cancer Society, coalitions comprised of local and state agencies, private, health, and faith-based organizations and academic universities were formed in each state. By applying community-based participatory research principles (CBPR), a comprehensive, multilevel Community Action Plan/Model that addresses the social determinants of health and individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and policy systems was developed to reduce breast and cervical cancer health disparities in six Mid-South states.

Conclusions: The development of a comprehensive, multi-state and multilevel Community Action Plan/Model designed to eliminate health disparities is attributable to employing CBPR principles and allowing ample time for capacity building efforts within each state.