Chw partners bridging the gap in cancer disparities: Lessons learned from the ACS bridges initiative

The Bridges Initiative is a collaboration between existing Community Health Worker (CHW) programs and the American Cancer Society to increase cancer screening in communities of color. Since 2009, Bridges has trained over 142 CHWs (within 59 organizations) in six South Atlantic states. The cancer screening initiative has provided cancer education to nearly 28,500 people and has led to over 9,960 breast, cervical, and colorectal screenings. Bridges provides CHWs with a skills-building, popular education-based training and ongoing technical assistance related to cancer screening and education. Bridges partners include local health departments, hospitals, FQHCs, and community-based organizations. Some of these agencies were already involved in cancer initiatives while others focus on health issues such as asthma, diabetes, HIV, prenatal care, etc. In 2013, evaluation efforts began to assess community partnership successes and challenges. Focus groups were conducted with CHWs in Georgia and South Carolina (n=25). Interviews with partners were conducted to understand their departure from Bridges (n=11). Finally, a survey was administered with existing Bridges partners (n=57) to clarify what aspects of the program were most helpful in reducing barriers to cancer screening. This session will examine the experience of partners in integrating cancer messages and outreach in the context of their broader CHW work, and major successes and challenges partners identified related to addressing cancer disparities. A long-time CHW and community partner will share experiences utilizing Bridges in Latino and migrant communities in Northwest Georgia.