The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49180

Diane Claire Carr, RN, BSN, NP¹, Barbara J Cicerelli, BA¹, Charla W. Ekstrand, MS, MPA², Alanna Ortega, CHOW¹, Maria Sonia Tuthill, MA¹, Esther Thach¹, Mary Yu¹, Juanita Contreras¹, and Amy Lan Yim, BSW¹. (1) Breast and Cervical Cancer Services, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 30 Van Ness Suite 2300, San Francisco, CA 94131, 415 581 2431, diane_carr@dph.sf.ca.us, (2) Community Health Network, San Francisco Public Health Department, 3507 Laguna Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306-2652

A patient navigation program for women at risk for or diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer was established in 1997 at a large urban public health department. This program was implemented in response to reports that the city and surrounding areas had one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the world. In particular, there was a concern that African-American women continued to experience a higher mortality rate from breast cancer although they were being screened at rates similar to white women. In addition, the city had a large population of immigrant women who were presenting at the county hospital with late stage breast or cervical disease. Women’s Care Navigators, the heart of the patient navigation program, go into the neighborhoods to locate women who have been lost to follow up. Culturally and linguistically compatible with assigned clients, they accompany women to clinic visits who have had difficulty navigating the medical care system. They assist women with abnormal screening findings in identifying resources for practical support services and provide emotional support. In collaboration with the Breast and Cervical Cancer Task Force from the public health department Primary Care Clinics, the navigation staff assists primary care providers in helping their clients access services at the county hospital and provide a source of contact and information for these providers, as well as for their clients. This presentation will describe outcomes achieved by this project and will provide information on how interested agencies can replicate this model in their own agencies.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Articulate methods used to reduce barriers that contribute to a women delaying follow up after receiving an abnormal screening result
• Create educational strategies for providing information on breast and cervical cancer underserved populations no-English speaking women
• Develop a plan that identifies a navigator for the client and a medical contact for the referring provider once the client is referred for definitive diagnosis and possible treatment

Keywords: Breast Cancer Programs, Advocacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.