The Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure awarded over $1.7 million in grants to 22 Western Washington organizations that deliver breast health outreach, cancer screening, treatment and support services.†The purpose of the local grant recipient program is to encourage eligible Western Washington healthcare institutions and community-based organizations to develop breast-cancer projects that educate and provide breast-health services to women of the region.
The recipients of Komen’s 2007 Affiliate Grant Awards Program targeting Asian Pacific Islanders are:
• International Community Health Services, “Asian and Pacific Islander Breast Health Access Project”will provide breast health and breast cancer awareness to low-income and limited English-proficient Chinese, Filipina, Korean, Samoan and Vietnamese women living in Seattle and King County through culturally-appropriate education, outreach, and screening activities.† The outreach health educators will help women schedule screening exams and mammograms, conduct reminder phone calls, provide on-site interpretation during appointments and exams and offer continued support in the event of an abnormal finding or positive breast cancer diagnosis.
• Samoan National Nurses Association, “Pacific Islander Breast Cancer Education and Outreach” will promote culturally appropriate breast cancer education and screening to Samoan, Hawaiian, Tongan, and Chamorro women and will reach a minimum of 300 women and 500 family members through their efforts. This project will provide education and referral to screening programs, patient navigation, and a creation of a continuum of support by working with community groups such as clinics, churches and cultural and social groups to promote breast cancer early detection and support services.
• Franciscan Health System, “Breast Cancer Patient Navigation Project”This project addresses healthcare access disparities among African American, Asian, Pacific Islander and Latina women in Pierce and South King Counties by decreasing fragmentation of care by coordinating services and guiding patients through the health care system.† Culturally competent navigators conduct outreach in culture centers, churches, grocery stores, nail salons, and other locations to identify women at risk for breast cancer and refer them for screening.† The navigators will facilitate communication with healthcare staff and providers, establishing mutually beneficial relationships that ensure rapid referral of women to appropriate services.
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