Successful cancer treatment depends on early detection. Because of cultural, economic or language barriers, Asian
immigrant women often fail to use preventive health services. Tufts-NEMC’s Cancer Center’s Asian Women’s
Cancer Education and Screening Program has targeted the breast and gynecological health needs of under-served high-risk Vietnamese
and Chinese women over age 40 living in greater Boston since 2001. Now in its
5th year, the program has received an unprecedented 3rd year of funding from the New England Regional Susan G. Komen Foundation
to support the following initiatives for 2006-07:
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(1) Provide culturally appropriate outreach, education and
cancer screening training to staff members from at least six community-based agencies who can function as patient navigators;
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(2) Complete a closely monitored transition of those approximately
125 existing clients from the hospital-based program for whom referral to one of the community-based programs is appropriate;
and
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(3) Maintain free hospital-based screening for high risk
women who need close follow up or those without insurance.
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The program has worked closely with the YWCA Encore Plus Program, the Vietnamese American Civic Association and agencies
serving Chinese immigrants as well as the Tufts-NEMC departments of Hematology/Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Gynecology and
the Breast
Health Center.
Over 125 Chinese and Vietnamese limited English speaking women have been seen yearly in the 3 monthly breast screening
and once a month gyn screening clinics, accompanied by program patient navigators. The
majority of these women have now been seen for repeated annual breast exams for 2 to 5 years.
Currently this well established program is moving toward more complete integration into community sites, a move that
will expand its reach and ensure long-term health care screening access to the target population.
The program is directed by Barbara Bond,
LICSW, EdD of the Tufts-NEMC General Clinical Research Center; and staffed by Betty Yau,
Program Coordinator; Marybeth Singer, MS,APRN,BC,
AOCN, Nurse Practitioner and Cate Mullen,
Breast Health Center, Nurse Coordinator with Dr.
Rachel Buchsbaum, Hematology/Oncology providing medical oversight to the program.
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