Community Campus Cancer Collaborative: Building partnerships and infrastructure to support a community focused cancer center model

Chicago carries some of the state’s largest burdens of prostate, lung, colorectal and breast cancer with mortality rates that are more than 1.5-2 times national averages. To attenuate these cancer disparities interventions must be situated where the burden is the greatest and where the patient is likely to get comprehensive care. Community based clinics serve such needs and in a post ACA environment carry the largest potential to serve as a vehicle to improve screenings, early detection and early phase treatment and clinical trial alignment. The U I Cancer Center (UICC) is one of the State’s first community focused cancer centers using a 21^st Century model centered around  the primary and ambulatory care setting such as the Federally Qualified Health Centers affiliated with the UICC called the Mile Square Health Centers.

The outreach and engagement efforts of the community focused cancer center are built upon the theoretical framework of the community empowerment model.  To support this model, the Community Campus Cancer Collaborative (CCCC) was established as a model that can be employed in other communities to better align efforts of often disconnected and research focused cancer centers with the cancer disparity needs of communities. The CCCC utilizes an evidence based model of engagement to improve cancer outcomes at the community level by: 1. Examining cancer statistics in catchment areas of community based clinics; 2. Disseminating findings to key stakeholders; 3. Developing targeted interventions/research based on community need and 4. Establishing a community clinic cancer navigation model.