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The Spanish-Speaking Women's Cancer Initiative (2001-2004)
"All of our partners had expertise - strength in delivery of cancer treatment or services. ... We brought our cultural and linguistic competence in outreach to the community and delivery of primary care to underserved communities." - Jane Garcia, Chief Executive Officer, La Clínica de La Raza
In Brief: After reports indicated that uninsured Latinas in Contra Costa County had particularly high mortality rates in a county that already had a high incidence of cancer, the Community Health Fund worked with community organizations to build a multi-agency collaborative to help Latinas get earlier detection and treatment for breast and cervical cancer. To this day, the resulting program provides a continuum of services - community outreach and education, navigation through the healthcare system, and emotional and practical support - to help monolingual Spanish-speaking women live with, through, and beyond cancer. The effort was so successful that the Community Health Fund recognized it with a $50,000 award for Excellence in Collaboration.
The Health Issue: In the late '90's, health indicators pointed to a high incidence of cancer in Contra Costa County, with uninsured Latinas experiencing higher mortality rates. Evidence indicated that barriers in the healthcare system and poorer screening rates contributed to later detection and thus poorer treatment outcomes for Latino women.
The Health Improvement Strategy: After considerable discussion, the proposed partners - the American Cancer Society, Anna's Program of Hospice of the East Bay, the Contra Costa Health Services Department Patient Navigator Program, La Clínica de La Raza, The Wellness Community, and the Women's Cancer Resource Center - decided to focus their efforts on earlier detection and treatment for breast and cervical cancer in the Latina community. To prevent late diagnosis, the collaborative - with the leadership of La Clínica - conducts outreach and education to motivate women to seek regular screening. La Clínica and the County provide primary care and screening, as well as referrals to diagnostic services. The County Patient Navigators help monolingual patients access services through the county system.
Then the organizations work together to further meet the needs of these patients. The American Cancer Society, for example, provides transportation to appointments and helps with wigs, turbans, and prostheses. If a woman has emergency financial needs or requires emotional support at the hospital, the Women's Cancer Resource Center is available to help. For therapeutic support, the Wellness Community provides the only cancer support groups in Spanish in the county. Finally, Anna's Program and Hospice provides care for those with advanced cancer.
The initiative has been an unqualified success. A formal, outside evaluation found that the initiative:
- Developed a successful, culturally relevant model that promotes early detection of cancer among Latinas.
- Increased the availability of culturally relevant cancer-related services for Latinas with little or no English-language skills living in east and central Contra Costa County.
- Developed a strong public/private partnership that integrates services and maximizes use of resources to provide a continuum of cancer-related care and services.
- Improved the responsiveness of the health care system and each organization to the needs of Latinas for early detection of cancer and cancer treatment services.
- Enhanced the quality of life and perceived potential for recovery of Latinas diagnosed with cancer who participate in the services of SSWCI.
- Developed a strong public/private partnership that integrates services and maximizes use of resources to provide a continuum of cancer-related care and services.
"I found myself really respecting the way these groups were talking among themselves about changes they needed to make... We've been able to leverage opportunities that we learn about from each other; that's an important form of system change." - Jane Garcia