Abstract
Background: Our minority institution/comprehensive cancer center partnership is based in Brooklyn and northern Manhattan, NY. Our institutions are surrounded by the largest community of individuals from the Caribbean in the United States, representing Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad-Tobago, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and other parts of the West Indies. Although research on racial/ethnic health disparities in the United States has undergone tremendous growth in the past decade, few research teams have access to ethnic enclaves as large as ours.
Objective: To train community health workers (CHWs) about cancer prevention and control for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer; and the importance of community participation in cancer clinical research, including prevention and treatment trials.
Methods: We worked with community-based organizations (CBOs) to conduct community needs assessment, review cancer educational materials and resources for appropriateness, identify gaps, develop new materials to fill the gaps, and coordinate educational activities across partner institutions. Outreach and education efforts focused on breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer and research participation. Cancer education materials from NCI, the American Cancer Society (ACS), and other national organizations were reviewed and adapted for the CBOs. Evaluation addressed development of materials; educational curricula; scheduling of, number of, and attendance at CHW trainings; number of individuals recruited by CHWs to our database; and changes in clients’ self-reported screening and cancer risk behaviors and intentions.
Results: In each of six participating CBOs serving diverse constituencies, we recruited at least six CHWs to participate in our Cancer Education Training Program and then to educate their constituencies (n≥10 each CHW) about cancer, cancer prevention, and clinical research. The trainees also obtained certification in Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The CHWs’ education of their clients is now in progress.
Conclusions: Community health workers are eager to receive training to provide cancer education to their clients, and to obtain certification in GCP and HIPAA. By providing this training, we are obtaining access to previously unreached constituencies in need of cancer screening.
Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A30.
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