A Navigation Resource Guide: Linking Underserved Women from their Community to Breast Health Care

Community Health Workers (CHWs) on Chicago's Westside are employing a new form of patient navigation by reaching women beyond the walls of the health care institution. We aim to combat disparities in breast cancer mortality by engaging communities and assisting women in obtaining optimal breast health care.

To facilitate our work, CHWs developed a Navigation Resource Guide to inform their efforts in reaching African American and Hispanic women where they live in the community and to link them to breast health care services. The Guide is designed to facilitate navigation of a fragmented system of breast health service delivery. It is divided into four sections, each pertaining to a different stage of the mammography process. Sections include finding women a medical home; enrolling women in free/low-cost programs; assisting women in getting screened; and resolving abnormal results and obtaining treatment, as needed. The Guide also includes information about other social services unrelated to breast health care, which has been essential in creating a “healthy communities” and helping women feel empowered, educated and motivated to get screened.

In this presentation, CHWs will describe how they developed and are using this Guide to bridge the racial and ethnic divide in breast cancer mortality and ensure that uninsured and underserved women receive equal access to breast health services. They will also share lessons learned and challenges faced so that this tool, in light of health care reform, can be adapted to assist underserved populations in accessing preventive health care.