RT Image July 20, 2009 : Page 22Underserved, not Undeserved A facility’s initiative to ensure adequate healthcare for all women| By Bob Stott Breast cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in women in the United States, yet many underprivileged women, especially in the Latino community, continue to slip through the healthcare gaps. The Capital Breast Care Center in Washington, D.C., is determined to change this model by providing free or low-cost breast exams, education programs, mammograms, and other services to reduce cancer mortality among the medically underserved. The CBCC associate director of clinical services provides health education to a patient. BREAST CANCER IS THE SECOND MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCER AMONG WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES – after skin cancer – and remains the second-most common cause of cancer death among women. In 2005 alone, 41,116 women died from the disease. On the cutting edge of breast cancer treatment, radiologists and oncologists are utilizing a host of advanced surgical, chemothera- py, and radiation therapy interventions alongside early detection screening in order to give tomorrow’s cancer patients a fighting chance for survival. However, for many Latina women who are unable to afford the latest in cancer detection, they are effectively going into battle unarmed and, worse, unaware. Recent studies show that women in the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., while facing language and cultural barriers, also present a high risk of mortality due to late-stage breast cancer. Although incidence and mortality rates for breast cancer are lower among Hispanic women than among non-Hispanic women, Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of the disease and have lower survival rates. In particular, low-income, and medically underserved Latina women have been shown to present a higher risk of dying from breast cancer than women from less disadvantaged groups. While the stark difference in survival rates has been linked to delays on the part of Latinos in obtaining care or simply not following through with medical recommendations, rarely is the answer so cut and dry. |22| July 20, 2009 Standard mammography screenings are underused by Latina women who either have no source – or at least, no regular source – of healthcare, lack health insurance, or have immigrated to the U.S. within the past 10 years. Whether due to economic, social, cultural, or even linguistic barriers, access to care in these groups is extremely limited and prevents healthcare providers from effectively addressing their particular needs – making this group a prime target for breast cancers. However, Capital Breast Care Center (CBCC) in southeast Washington, D.C., one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city with the highest breast cancer rate in the nation, is determined to change this model by providing free or low-cost breast exams, education programs, mammograms, and other services to reduce breast cancer mortality among the medically underserved. A DRIVING FORCE FOR CHANGE The CBCC was founded in 2004, driven by a generous grant from the Avon Foundation, a public charity with almost 60 years of dedication to improving women’s lives. The foundation has initiated several programs that raise funds and awareness o advance access to care, with a focus on the medically underserved. CBCC is the result of a collaboration involving the Hyattsville, Md.-based MedStar Research Institute and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, intend- A CBCC mammography technologist prepares a patient for a mammogram. Capital Breast Cancer Center UNDERSERVED, NOT UNDESERVEDPublication List |
