Raising breast cancer awareness in minority American women

Newswise — UC Davis has received $124,500 from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to fund breast-cancer education programs for minority women in Sacramento and to help newly diagnosed breast cancer patients prepare for treatment at UC Davis Cancer Center.

Promotora program

A $64,500 grant was awarded to the UC Davis School of Medicine for a “promotora” program serving uninsured and medically underserved women in Sacramento’s African American, Asian American and Islamic communities. Women in these communities have low rates of mammography screening.

Promotoras are trusted and respected members of their communities who receive training to educate and counsel at-risk women about breast cancer screening and early detection. The promotoras will work through three UC Davis School of Medicine student-run clinics.

“African American women are not getting breast cancer detected early enough,” said Ivy Felix, one of three promotoras now working from the Imani Clinic, which serves a predominately African American population in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood. “By the time the cancer is found, it’s too late.”

Felix, an active community volunteer, has lost five friends and family members to breast cancer over the past four years.

Mother’s Wisdom Project

A $25,000 grant was awarded to UC Davis Cancer Center for the “Mother’s Wisdom Project,” which is integrating traditional Native American music, images, beliefs, values and native medicine with Western medicine in a pilot program designed to educate Native American women about breast health and breast cancer prevention. An American Indian Advisory Committee, made up of 10 women from five tribes, is guiding the program’s development and testing. Marlene von Friederichs-Fitzwater, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology and director of the Cancer Center’s Outreach Research and Education Program, is the project’s principal investigator.

“By sharing the information, the women participating in the program will become role models for their daughters and granddaughters,” said von Friederichs-Fitzwater, who hopes to expand the program to 22 tribes.

Program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

A $35,000 grant was awarded to UC Davis Cancer Center for an orientation program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The new program addresses the need of breast cancer patients for information and support during the critical time from initial diagnosis to the first appointment with an oncologist. Small-group sessions rely on an innovative coaching method to prepare and support patients as they approach treatment decision-making and the beginning of treatment regimens. Carol Case, a registered nurse who coordinates patient education programs for the Cancer Center, leads the sessions.

“The diagnosis of cancer is often a traumatic experience, and patients frequently experience a wide range of feelings, including fear, anxiety and uncertainty,” Case said. “This program is designed specifically to meet the needs of women at this difficult time.”

As principal investigator for the project, von Friederichs-Fitzwater will develop and implement outcome assessments to determine the impact of the program on patients’ information needs.

UC Davis Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center that cares for 9,000 adults and children with cancer each year from throughout the Central Valley and inland Northern California. Its Outreach Research and Education Program works to eliminate ethnic disparities in cancer region-wide.