ObjectivesImportant
Points
· Apply innovative methods to reach Chinese women
· develop successful strategies for promoting breast cancer screening
· Innovative outreach strategies are urgently needed to overcome the unique circumstances Michigan’s Asian population faces gaining access to health care services
· Different types of outreach and educational activities can be used to promote breast cancer screening
The challenges that LHAs and all Asians encounter are clear. On the one hand, in a state where Asians are relatively new immigrants and few in number, health officials need help and assistance in reaching this new population. On the other hand, most Asians have cultural, economic, and linguistic barriers in accessing health care. When there are challenges, problems or needs, innovative approaches, something new and different, are called for in solving these problems.
2. Ways to Develop
Innovative Approaches
To develop something new, there are three steps:
a. Identifying needs or problem
b. Brainstorm ideas and organize them
c. Exploring options and developing actions
a. Identifying needs or problem
Many innovations arose from unmet needs or unsolved problems. In our case, our problem is how to educate Asian women in Michigan so they understand the advantages of having annual mammograms to detect breast cancer early so that treatment may be more effective in saving lives and preserving the quality of life.
b. Brainstorm ideas and organize them
As a member of the Chinese
community, you have special knowledge that can be used to develop successful
outreach strategies. You have other
assets too.
Please make an
inventory of your assets by answering the following questions:
a. What are your hobbies?
b. What meeting do you usually after work?
c. What do your children enjoy doing with your family members?
d. What do you enjoy doing with your friends?
e. Do you know what Chinese community organizations are in your county?
f. Do you know what types of Chinese community events are sponsored in your county?
Now, how can you apply these assets to solving our problem?
c. Exploring options and developing actions
Take your ideas and information about the community and develop a plan of action.
Having finished that, what are some ways of reaching other Chinese women so that you have a chance to talk to them about annual mammography. Can you think of ways where people can have fun too? For each suggestion, please indicate:
(1) setting
(2) time
(3)
target audience
(4) how you propose to reach the audience
(5) what obstacles you
might encounter
(6) how you’re going to prepare yourself to overcome the
obstacles.
HAAP’s research findings show that multiple factors impact Asian women’s mammography utilization, including
economic, cultural, linguistic, and psychosocial barriers. In order to improve
access to health care, special strategies should be developed to help Asian
women overcome these various barriers.
a.
Overcoming Economic Barriers
The Michigan Breast and Cervical
Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) helps women without health insurance and low
income get free breast and cervical cancer screening. aims to reduce mortality from breast and cervical
cancer through early diagnosis and treatment.
HAAP is working closely with the Michigan BCCCP
to help eligible Asian women get cancer screening.
As an LHA, please contact us if you would like to help a woman who has no
health insurance get free breast and cervical cancer screening through BCCCP.
b. Overcoming Cultural Barriers
A significant proportion of
Asian women are new comers to the U.S. and could be particularly resistant to
talking with strangers about their personal issues.
Meeting someone from their community and talking with these women
privately while providing them personalized assistance may help overcome this
barrier.
c. Overcoming Linguistic Barriers
For those who speak little or no English, HAAP has developed project brochures, posters, and flyers in various Asian languages. HAAP is also helping women who can not speak English set up cancer screening appointments. It would be very helpful if you could distribute HAAP’s bilingual educational material to non-English speaking women and provide interpreting services for those who have linguistic barriers.
d. Overcoming Psychosocial Barriers:
Considering Asian women’s beliefs and attitudes about cancer prevention and screening, such as fear of both, you may need to sponsor culturally appropriate health promotion events. A party at your home or participating in HAAP’s health promotion events are good examples. Instead of focusing only on cancer topics, the promotion events cover other health educational topics, such as blood pressure, heart disease, and children’s education. HAAP events generally have good attendance including both women and their family members. Inviting BCCCP clients or breast cancer patients to talk about their experience is an excellent strategy to help Asian women understand the importance of the early cancer screening.
2. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) Strategies
Below
are some examples of events and activities that have been implemented in
Michigan in during past BCAMs. Please
visit a special BCAM event this year and in the future to help get the message
out to people within your organization and community or to a specific target
audience.
a. Distribute breast cancer awareness materials and display breast cancer awareness posters at:
· local health agencies, doctor’s offices, and clinics
· libraries, post offices, churches, and municipal buildings such as city hall
· special sporting events and concert
· health fairs
· retail shops, shopping malls, restaurants, and beauty shops
b. Invite qualified health professionals and breast cancer survivors to speak at special events:
· brown bag lunches for employees
· special hospital or health agency sponsored events
· special teas or luncheons, perhaps featuring survivors
· seminars on women’s health issues
· community and volunteer group meetings
c. Cooperate with the media to develop breast cancer related articles, editorials, advertisements and special television and radio programming that promote breast cancer awareness issues
d. Add breast cancer awareness inserts into routine mailings, such as newsletters, payroll warrants, welfare checks, etc.
e. Sponsor a special event to honor friends and loved ones who have battled breast cancer.
f. Run a pre-recorded telephone message about the importance of annual breast cancer screening, clinical breast exams, and mammography that clients can listen to while on hold for your organization.
g. Cooperate with local transportation providers, such as bus and taxi companies, to offer free transportation for annual mammography and clinical breast exams.
h. Offer breast cancer materials and educational speakers for non-English speaking women in your community, if appropriate.
This list is part of the Michigan Cancer
Consortium’s Cervical Cancer Health Awareness Month outreach and educational
activities published in Take Advantage of Cervical Health Awareness Month,
Michigan BCCCP Newsletter, January 2002. Those
ideas that were not a part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities are
included below.
a. Work with local health professional
education programs, such as nursing schools, to identify students
willing to visit physicians’ offices to distribute information about
Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program
services. Try giving brochures in
creative ways, such as in coffee mugs.
b. Print
ads for cervical cancer screening and services on place mats and distribute them
to local restaurants.
c. Have
bilingual volunteers or staff members make home visits to women who are part of
culturally
d. Collaborate with your local parish nurse
network to provide women with information about cervical cancer and the importance of early detection.
e. Conduct seminars about cervical cancer for
mature and young women at area churches.
