Latinos & Cancer: Research, Training & Awareness
Items and opportunities of interest

The Redes En Acción E-Alert is a periodic e-mail communication focusing on timely information promoting Latino cancer research, training and awareness. We welcome your feedback, suggestions and items of interest. Please send them to RedesEnAccion@uthscsa.edu.
 
Events 

Cancer Disparities Conference The American Cancer Society will sponsor a conference in New Orleans April 18-20, 2007 titled Bridging the Health Care Divide: Research and Programs to Eliminate Cancer Disparities. The conference will bring together researchers, community groups, physicians, nurses, social workers, public health leaders, lay persons, advocates and policy makers to describe successful, sustainable models to eliminate cancer disparities. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/cancerdisparities/index.asp  

Research  

Colon Cancer Screening Disparities Even though Medicare has expanded coverage for colon cancer screening, blacks and Hispanics are not benefiting as much as whites, a new study shows. Click here.  

Cervical Cancer Screening Community-based educational interventions, supportive physicians and friends, and no-cost or discounted Pap tests could increase the use of cervical cancer screenings by Hispanic women, according to an article published in Ethnicity & Disease. Click here.  

English Proficiency Study Language barriers appear to increase the risks to patient safety. Hospital patients in the United States who have limited English proficiency are more likely to be harmed by adverse events than other patients, a new study shows. http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/334/7589/335-c  

Latinas Needed for Study Researchers need help in recruiting Latina women for The Sister Study: A Study of the Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Breast Cancer. Of the 33,000 women enrolled in the study, only 1,000 are Hispanic. The Sister Study is a long-term national study of women aged 35 to 74 whose sister had breast cancer. For information, contact Lourdes Suarez (suarez1@niehs.nih.gov).  

Publications  

Health Care Disparities Report The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) recently released the 2006 National Healthcare Disparities Report. The report tracks disparities in quality of and access to health care in the United States for both the general population and for AHRQ's congressionally designated priority populations. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr06/nhdr06.htm  

Cancer Statistics Publication The 2003 United States Cancer Statistics Incidence and Mortality report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Program of Cancer Registries is now available. The official federal statistics on cancer incidence from registries having high-quality data and cancer mortality statistics for 50 states and the District of Columbia are produced by CDC and the National Cancer Institute in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/uscs/  

Funding  

Community Health Funding Opportunity The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at CDC announces the opportunity to apply for funds to advance evidence- and practice-based programs and culturally based community practices to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. The initiative is titled Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health across the U.S. (REACH US) Application deadline: May 7, 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/DP07-707.htm  

Breast Cancer Program Support The Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade’s regional Supporting the Safety Net program supports public, community and safety net hospitals and health care systems that provide breast care to low-income, at-risk, uninsured and underinsured individuals. Through this initiative, the foundation supports programs that enable medically underserved women to move from screening to diagnostics and care. Grant amounts will range from $100,000 to $250,000. Application deadline: May 1 http://www.avoncompany.com/women/avonfoundation/gapeop.html

Health Literacy Grant The ultimate goal of new National Institutes of Health (NIH) program funding is to encourage empirical research on health literacy concepts, theory and interventions as these relate to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ public health priorities that are outlined in its HealthierUS and Healthy People 2010 initiatives.  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-020.html  

Dissertation Support CDC has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to invite applications for support of public health dissertation research. This program supports research undertaken as part of an academic program to qualify for a doctorate. http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/CD07-002.htm  

Articles  

HPV Vaccine Article Racing to embrace a new vaccine, at least 20 states are considering mandatory inoculation of young girls against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. But a strong backlash has some health experts worried that proponents have pushed too far too fast, potentially undermining eventual prospects for the broadest possible immunization. Click here.  

Video Medical Interpretation The University of California Davis School of Medicine and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) have played pioneering roles in the development of Video Medical Interpretation (VMI), which allows LEP (limited English proficiency) patients, providers and interpreters to communicate through a screen. The VMI system, which has reduced the time and cost for interpretation, is offered now to patients whose native language is Spanish, Chinese or Vietnamese, among others. http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=4927  

Health Disparities Policy Efforts to end health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities have brought Indiana to the national stage as the state begins to select the first pieces of the puzzle. With clear-cut plans broken down into timeframes and community members' support, leaders are sending the message that Indiana is combating high rankings in negative categories and is determined to cultivate a healthy population. http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?lvl=1&lvlID=6&ID=4906  

Breast Cancer Study When women with low incomes or low levels of education start chemotherapy for breast cancer, they routinely get insufficient doses, a new study suggests. That may be one reason they are less likely to survive the disease than other women. Click here.  

Health Disparities Initiative As a result of the 2006 National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health, attention will now focus on a new national initiative from the OMH – the National Action Agenda to End Health Disparities for Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations. http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?lvl=1&lvlID=6&ID=4903  

Resources  

PSAs in Spanish and English In new Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign television and radio public service announcements (PSAs), Emmy® Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits explains – in Spanish and English – why screening for colorectal cancer is important and how getting screened can help prevent the disease. The PSAs are part of an ongoing CDC colorectal cancer screening promotion campaign. Screen for Life has created a suite of educational campaign materials in English and Spanish for patients and health professionals. Print materials – including fact sheets, brochures and posters – and PSAs can be viewed, printed and ordered online. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/sfl/  

Health Disparities Resource The Kaiser Family Foundation's updated version of Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care, 2007 Update serves as a quick reference source on health disparities, presenting the best available data and analysis. http://www.kff.org/minorityhealth/6069.cfm  

Programs  

Patient Navigator Initiative With major support from AstraZeneca, the American Cancer Society will accelerate development of at least 50 new Patient Navigator Program sites over the next five years in communities throughout the United States. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=63116  

Training  

Participatory Research Training The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and its partners are sponsoring a Summer Research Institute to address essential conceptual, methodological and practical issues involved in planning and carrying out research that is jointly conducted by communities and researchers. The training program is scheduled July 9-13, 2007 in Chicago. Application deadline: May 7, 2007
http://obssr.od.nih.gov/summerinstitute2007/index.html

Do you have an item of interest? Pass it along. Send to
RedesEnAccion@uthscsa.edu.