Hispanic women and men living along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso County have lower cancer screening rates when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Poor screening rates are attributed to various socio-economic barriers, including high levels of poverty, uninsured or underinsured, low levels of acculturation, foreign birth, and lack of knowledge about the availability of services.

We propose to establish a multi-component program which will provide screening, education and patient navigation services. Comprehensive breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening services will be made available at Cento San Vicente health centers and its partnering agencies through contractual arrangements an...

Read More

Hispanic women and men living along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso County have lower cancer screening rates when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Poor screening rates are attributed to various socio-economic barriers, including high levels of poverty, uninsured or underinsured status, low levels of acculturation, foreign birth, and lack of knowledge about the availability of services.

We propose to establish a multi-component program which will provide screening, education and patient navigation services. Comprehensive breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening services will be made available at Centro San Vicente health centers and its partnering agencies through contractual arrangements and a voucher based payment system. Participant recruitment will be enhanced through the support of a coalition of providers who serve some of the poorest and most medically underserved individuals living in El Paso County.

Evidence based interventions will be provided to both men and women using the availability of free cancer screening services as an incentive. These interventions will be delivered to both men and women in a clinical setting as well as at various coalition member sites such as the Center Against Family Violence, La Posada Home, YWCA TLC and Opportunity Center for the Homeless. These agencies will help to refer patients for cancer screening services, greatly expanding the program’s capacity to reach out to low-income, uninsured/underinsured Hispanic men and women.

Moreover, our proposal will infuse a program called Healthcare Heroes of El Paso (HHEP). HHEP is responsible for soliciting free medical care for the uninsured or underinsured and for those who do not qualify for third-party payer services such Medicaid and Medicare. This program has become a leading organizer of coordinated care and under this proposal will solicit free discounted medical treatment and services for cancer survivors.

The Rio Grande Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to reduce the human and economic impact of cancer, will also provide comprehensive patient navigation and survivorship services. The specific aims or goals of the project are as follows: (1) A higher percentage of male and female patients are compliant with current cancer screening guidelines; (2) Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about cancer prevention improves among project participants; and, (3) Access to the local cancer care network is improved through availability of patient navigation and survivorship services. This proposal offers a sustainable, realistic and practical collaborative model that can be easily replicated by other community based organizations across Texas, helping to reduce treatment costs and cancer mortality rates.

Read Less