The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49663

Amy M. Carroll, MPH¹, Sarah E. Samuels, DrPH¹, and Therese Factora². (1) Samuels & Associates, 1204 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 271-6799, amy@samuelsandassociates.com, (2) Los Angeles Women's Foundation, 6030 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 303, Los Angeles, CA 90036

The Los Angeles Women’s Foundation was awarded a grant by The California Endowment to support innovative outreach and education strategies that will increase awareness, screening and treatment of cervical cancer among at-risk women in Los Angeles County. Through this grant, 22 community-based organizations have been funded for one year to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for reaching underserved women in target populations at high-risk for cervical cancer (Latino, African-American, Korean, Armenian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian), and for tracking the number of screening and treatment appointments they make and keep. These organizations function within the context of the Los Angeles County’s Office of Women’s Health’s media and communications campaign designed to increase cervical cancer awareness among the same at-risk populations, as well as a County toll-free hotline which can be used to set up appointments for free or low-cost cervical cancer screenings and treatment. The evaluation aims to document and measure: 1) the investment made by the Foundation in grantee technical assistance, capacity building and support; 2) the number and type of activities employed by grantees to implement their unique program strategies; 3) the number of women reached through grantee outreach and education efforts; and 4) the collaboration of community stakeholders with grantees efforts. This presentation will present interim evaluation findings, which will: 1) present illustrative case studies of grantee experiences; and 2) identify determinants of successful grantee efforts to increase cervical cancer screening and treatment services utilized by these underserved, at-risk, and often culturally and linguistically isolated populations of women.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of developing community-based culturally and linguistically appropriate cervical cancer outreach and education strategies to overcome the multiple barriers faced by low-income and ethnic minority individuals at-risk for cervical cancer.
• Discuss the different qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods employed to capture the experience and effectiveness of 22 different community-based programs implementing unique outreach and education strategies to address their communities’ needs and work with their communities’ assets.
• Identify the program challenges and barriers faced, as well as the successful solutions employed by each of 22 community-based organizations and by the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation.

Keywords: Cervical Cancer, Cultural Competency

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.