UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Magazine Fall 2015 | Page 12
outreach
The disparate rate of cancer mortality for African-
Americans compared to Caucasians spurred the
creation of the Cancer Center’s flagship outreach
program – the Deep South Network for Cancer
Control (DSN), which recently celebrated its 15th year
of funding.
Originally funded by the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) in 2000, the DSN was designed
to build a community infrastructure to eliminate
health disparities by increasing cancer awareness and
screening rates among minorities and underserved
populations. Since its inception, the network has
targeted two poor rural regions – the Alabama Black
Belt and the Mississippi Delta – and two urban
areas – Alabama’s Jefferson County and Mississippi’s
The disparate
Hattiesburg/Laurel Metro.
Initially focusing on breast and cervical cancers,
DSN relied on a novel strategy to spread its
director of the DSN. “For example, in the last
African-Americans
of each community, ranging from school teachers to
guidelines for certain cancers, such as cervical cancer,
Caucasians spurred
factory workers to hairstylists – and trained them as
community health advisors (CHAs) to educate their
families, friends and neighbors about cancer.
DSN eventually took the CHA model a step
further and trained these volunteers as CHARPs –
By JOSH TILL
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center has long been recognized as a community o utreach leader for
its work in eliminating cancer health disparities among minority and underserved populations on local,
national and even international levels.
compared to
15 years, we’ve seen several changes in screening
and we have been able to successfully take that
information and keep the CHARPs informed and
trained to convey those messages to their communities.
That’s really the first love of our CHARPs.”
For many citizens in the DSN’s targeted regions,
Community Health Advisors Trained as Research
the biggest concerns are education and access. The
more than 1,500 people throughout Alabama and
to teach them that cancer screenings are effective and
Partners. In 15 years, the DSN staff has trained
DEEP SOUTH NETWORK CELEBRATES 15 YEARS
mortality for
messages about prevention and early detection. It
identified “natural helpers” – the trusted members
Evolution of the CHAs
rate of cancer
Claudia Hardy, M.P.A.
Mississippi as CHARPs, and those CHARPs have
been extremely effective. Among the Medicare/
Medicaid population in DSN’s targeted areas, the
disparity in mammography screening rates has
decreased from 17 percent to .25 percent, thanks in
large part to the efforts of the CHARPs.
“Community outreach and education is the
cornerstone and foundation of the Deep South
Network,” says Claudia Hardy, M.P.A., program
first step in educating the medically underserved is
worthwhile. The other issue involved is access to care.
Once the patient decides to have a screening, he or she
is then faced with the dilemma of where to have the
test and how to get there. If diagnosed with cancer,
the creation
of the Cancer
Center’s flagship
outreach program
– the Deep South
Network for Cancer
Control (DSN),
which recently
celebrated its 15th
year of funding.
these patients often have to drive 50 or 60 miles for
treatment.
This is where a CHARP is able to help, as they
understand these problems and are trusted by the men
and women they serve. Because of that, they are able
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