Challenges in reaching minority, underserved populations with preventive services are come in many forms, including socioeconomic, cultural, logistical and organizational barriers. These challenges are familiar to the tribal programs funded through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. In this presentation, the major results from a multiple-site case study (conducted in a participatory fashion) will be discussed, with a focus on the successful strategies implemented by tribal breast and cervical cancer early detection programs to overcome a number of these challenges. Successful strategies are presented for each of the major program components, including public education, professional education, tracking/follow-up, quality assurance, and partnership/ coalition development. The results suggest that tribal programs can have a positive impact on screening utilization. The comprehensive nature of the early detection programs is important to its success, and such a program did not exist in any of the case study sites previously. CDC resources and support are viewed as critically important, although a few NBCCEDP policies designed for state health department programs present challenges when required of tribal programs. The case study results emphasize that public health programs attempting to bring services to underserved populations need to do more than simply remove financial barriers. The comprehensive nature of the NBCCEDP, combined with tribal program strategies for delivering services in a culturally competent manner that addresses logistical and other barriers to care, are among the major keys to success in this initiative.
Learning Objectives: 1. Understand several barriers to cancer screening among American Indian/Alaska Native women and understand how tribal programs have attempted to address these barriers. 2. List several successful strategies that have been implemented within and across tribal programs in the NBCCEDP. 3. Understand some of the ways in which screening initiatives designed for the general population present challenges when implemented in American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
Keywords: Cancer Screening, Native Americans
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.