This poster will describe the strengths and challenges inherent in delivering comprehensive breast and cervical cancer screening services to Alaska Native women living in the Anchorage Area Service Unit. The Alaska Native Women's Wellness Program (ANWWP) is funded through the American Indian/Alaska Native Initiative of CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. The ANWWP is funded through Southcentral Foundation (SCF), a non-profit Alaska Native health corporation funded under the tribal authority of Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI). ANWWP staff carry out the tracking components of the program, as well as the public education, professional education, and client recruitment. Breast and cancer screening is coordinated through several existing clinics in the Primary Care Center run by SFC. As of July 2000, the program has provided 9,792 mammograms to 4,508 Native women, and 20,981 Pap tests to 7,197 Native women. Several areas stand out in this exceptional program: (1) the Women's Health Tracking Package, and the many ways in which the program makes use of the data above and beyond the CDC requirements; (2) the complete integration of the breast and cancer screening program into an existing health system, complete with a Primary Care Center and a tertiary care hospital; and (3) successful outreach and client recruitment that depends primarily on mass media and one-on-one individualized phone calls. Ongoing challenges include serving multiple cultural and linguistic groups of Alaska Natives and American Indians.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the delivery model used by the Alaska Native Women's Wellness Program to deliver comprehensive breast and cervical cancer screening services to Native women in south central Alaska 2. Describe ways in which a program can make use of surveillance data to improve service delivery 3. Apply these strategies to improve service delivery to Native women in other remote areas
Keywords: Alaska Natives, Cancer Screening
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Southcentral Foundation and the Alaska Native Women's Wellness Program
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.