Reaching the Never and Rarely Screened

1. Reaching the Never and Rarely Screened Vonda Evans ACS-BCN Recruitment Senior Manager SCCA Annual Meeting Columbia, South Carolina May 11, 2007

2. What is the Best Chance Network ? • 1990 • Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act Public law 101-354 • SC Funded • 3rd cervical cancer • 26th breast cancer • 1999 • All states, territories and 15 tribes funded to screen 12% - 15% of eligible women • 2000 • Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act Public law106-354

3. A Comprehensive Program BCN services include: • Screening • Diagnosis and treatment of abnormal findings • Public education and outreach for recruitment • Professional education and development • Tracking, surveillance, and quality assurance • Case management

4. Goal Reduce mortality from breast and cervical cancers BCN Eligibility • Age: 47-64 • Meet Income guidelines • No health insurance or hospitalization only

5. Service Coordination Team: • Denyse Petry, Senior Manager • Donna Simmons, Professional Ed Manager • 4 Regional Service Coordinators • Kathy Williams, Data Coordinator • Outreach/Recruitment Team: • Vonda Evans, Senior Manager • 6 Outreach Workers

6. CDC Definition of a Rarely Never/Screened Women • The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines rarely screened as not having cervical cancer screening in the past five years or never.

7. Statement of Need • SC has one of the highest number of uninsured women in the nation • African American women are nearly 3 times more likely to die of cervical cancer than are Caucasian women

8. Outreach Worker (OW) Responsibilities • Recruit eligible women for screening • Deliver coordinated educational program curriculum • Deliver culturally appropriate activities for promoting screening and re-screening

9. How does BCN find eligible women in South Carolina?

10. Locations • Recruitment Strategies • Materials/ Media • Volunteers/ Collaborators

11. Locations • Schools • Churches • Beauty parlors • Laundromats • Convenience stores • Grocery stores • Drugstores (pharmacists) • Family owned restaurants • Hotels • Automotive stores • Bingo halls • Job sites • Department of Social Services

12. Locations Cont’d … • Community centers • Liquor stores • Funeral parlors • Housing authority • Insurance companies • Transportation providers (especially in rural areas) • Clinics (federally qualified health centers, health departments) and private medical providers • Breast cancer support groups • Unemployment office

13. Recruitment Strategies

14. Materials/Media

15. Volunteers/Collaborators

16. The Story of Minnie Smith • I am 56 years of age • I make less than $9,000.00 per year • I do not have insurance • My last pap was when my last child was born 14 years ago and I have never had a mammogram. • I live in a rural area • I have no car

17. Minnie Smith’s story… • I met a BCN Outreach Worker in the grocery store. • She told me about the Best Chance Network. • I told her I didn’t have any money to go to the doctor. • I also couldn’t get off work to go to the doctor.

18. Overcoming Barriers to Screening • Address them one by one. • Often takes many contacts to find one woman who is eligible for BCN. • Build rapport, • Listen to the woman’s concerns and help her by making referrals for other non-cancer related resources. • Focus on the whole woman. • Schedule appointment around her other responsibilities.

20. What Happened to Minnie Smith? The Outreach Worker helped her schedule her appointment with a BCN provider.

21. The Best Chance Network is saving lives . . .But is it enough?

22. The National Problem 20% of the eligible women are screened each year . . . . . . But then there is the other 80%

23. Conclusion • Community “Buy-In” • Multiple strategies to reach women • Support and collaboration

24. Thank you ! Vonda Evans ACS-BCN Recruitment Senior Manager Office (843) 744-1922 Fax (843) 747-2761