Fiscal Year 2019 Awarded Grants
CARTI Foundation
Grant Summary: CARTI’s patient assistance program was founded to ensure all patients have access to the highest quality cancer treatment. However, there are many barriers to accessing life-saving cancer treatment. Getting to a CARTI center can be very difficult for those residing in rural areas and those of limited financial means. This project, Access to Treatment-Overcoming Barriers, will reduce key financial barriers by providing transportation assistance to 610 patients who are low-income, uninsured or underinsured.
Eligibility for the program will be determined by CARTI’s social work staff members. Qualifying patients may be from any county in Arkansas, including those residing in “red” counties. Qualifying low-income patients will receive either a fuel card or a fuel voucher. The social work staff members document all cards and vouchers issued in a database designed specifically to track assistance provided to CARTI patients.
The vision for Access to Treatment-Overcoming Barriers is to improve the ability for all cancer patients, regardless of area of residence or income level, to receive treatment, focus on their recovery and increase their chance of becoming cancer free.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Grant Summary: Through partnerships with healthcare practices in the red counties and six UAMS regional programs, the UAMS Community Health and Education (CHE) division of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) at UAMS will increase quality colorectal cancer medical screening training for the healthcare workforce, develop regional colorectal cancer screening referral lists to add to our current Community Hub resource, and market targeted interventions through developing social media activities and messages for providers.
This project will emphasize, advertise, instruct and encourage physicians and physician groups to increase their cancer screening rates among their eligible patient populations. The work will be completed by hosting a minimum of six accredited continuing medical education (CME) hours at family physician conferences regionally in or near the targeted counties and/or through interactive video at UAMS. Regional colorectal cancer screening referral lists will be developed to add to our current Community Hub resource by traveling to the targeted areas and researching the surrounding region. Screen for Life materials such as posters, videos, brochures, and postcards will be provided for physicians use. CHE will work with providers to reach the “hard to persuade groups” by using the CRC Roundtable 2017 Communications Guidebook to create recommended messaging to populations and to teach healthcare organizations what they can do to advance the screening rate in their local areas. The target population for this funding consists of family practice physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, healthcare administrators, and other allied healthcare professionals in the “red” counties and across the state.
White River Health System, Inc.
Grant Summary: Rural populations are less likely to get screened for colorectal cancer. The counties of Fulton, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence, and Sharp are all designated as Medically Underserved by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Geographic isolation in these areas, coupled with the lack of public transportation, creates more barriers and suffering from chronic illnesses and disease.
White River Health System (WRHS) will participate in the 80% Pledge Campaign to implement strategies to increase the number of individuals screened for colorectal cancer and reduce deaths from this disease. WRHS will educate at health screening events at business and industries utilizing our CommHealth Worksite Wellness Program, engage Primary Care Physicians in assessing screening rates and participating in protocols to improve rates, and launch a region-wide media education plan to reach groups that typically experience lower screening rates. WRHS’ CommHealth Program will incorporate colorectal cancer screening education and referrals to screenings. The CommHealth Program will host two Human Resource Manager luncheons to review WRHS priorities for wellness and prevention and encourage cancer screening for employees 50 and older. WRHS will also educate Primary Care Physicians/hospital medical staff in 10 rural health clinics to encourage screening for colorectal cancer, and the WRHS Marketing department will increase colorectal screening education through social media and traditional media such as radio and print materials.
St. Bernard’s Development Foundation
Grant Summary: There are several barriers that prevent women from having annual mammograms. Many women do not have financial resources for non-emergent medical services, much less the expense of traveling to a facility that performs such exams. St. Bernard’s Mobile Mammography Program strives to deliver quality breast health services to underserved women in rural Northeast Arkansas and to educate and enable them to make informed decisions regarding their breast health. The Mobile Mammography team collaborates with Witness Project, Arkansas Baptist Association Medical Mission, local health units, rural clinics, industries, churches, schools, civic organizations, and others to increase breast self-awareness and promote early detection by screening for breast cancer in women.
St Bernard’s Mobile Mammography Unit (MMU) will provide life-saving breast health services to 185 women, including mammograms to underserved women age 40 and over, as well as clinical breast exams and breast health education to 2,000 women in its 18 county service area. The MMU will focus efforts in “red” counties and “persistent poverty” counties to reduce the barriers concerning lack of access to a mammography facility, increase awareness and breast health education, and ease financial burdens that prevent women from getting a mammogram. In addition to increasing access to mammography services, St. Bernard’s MMU will further assist 10 women who have an abnormal mammogram with gas cards to assist with the expense of traveling to a mammography facility for diagnostic follow-up.
Washington Regional Medical Foundation
Grant Summary: Since 1995, the Washington Regional Cancer Support Home (CSH) has been meeting the needs of cancer patients, their families and the Northwest Arkansas community in a non-clinic setting by providing education, outreach, navigation, screening, and diagnostic services, and survivorship assistance. With two locations in Washington and Benton counties, CSH provides a unique variety of support services and programs for cancer patients and their families. CSH is requesting support for two programs that directly address goals of the Arkansas Cancer Plan: the Colorectal Cancer Outreach Program (CCOP) and the Washington Regional Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) program.
Screening and early detection of colorectal cancer are critical to decreasing mortality rates and increasing survival. CSH works to increase screening rates through the CCOP. This program provides up to $1,500 in financial assistance to eligible clients who need screening and diagnostic services. Clients must have a first-degree family history of colorectal cancer or be symptomatic and meet the income eligibility requirements.
Access to oral health care is insufficient for low-income adults and those living in poverty in Northwest Arkansas. In order to address this need for more dental care for low-income adults, Washington Regional launched the Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) in 2014. This 40-foot customized vehicle is a complete dentist’s office that is driven to partner sites throughout the region to deliver free, comprehensive dental services and preventive education. This program serves over 1,500 dental patients each year. All patients will receive an oral cancer screening at each visit.
Mainline Health Systems, Inc.
Grant Summary: The mission of Mainline Health Systems, Inc. (MHSI) is to provide high-quality clinical services to all the people of Southeast Arkansas regardless of their ability to pay. MHSI will require the 3 MD’s and 14 APRN’s to be educated on the updated cervical cancer screening guidelines which will allow them to educate the 2,748 patients who are female ages 23-64. MHSI will develop and implement an active recall list of all MHSI patients who need a cervical cancer screening. All female patients, ages 23-64, who have NOT received a hysterectomy, will receive education regarding their cervical cancer screening by the recall system and scheduled an appointment. MHSI’s goal is to increase the number of patients being screened from 995 to 1,511 by implementing the recall system.
All MHSI providers will be required to receive education on the latest cervical cancer screening requirements and the ACIP recommendation for the HPV vaccine as part of their annual training. MHSI will also provide education regarding the HPV vaccine to patients and patients’ parents. MHSI staff will gather and organize the HPV vaccine information for each medical provider and will create advertisements to be posted on social media to promote HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screenings.
Clarice’s Room of Hope
Grant Summary: Clarice’s Room of Hope seeks to broaden support and enhance the lives of those affected by cancer in Polk, Montgomery, Scott, and Sevier counties by specifically addressing the unique needs of cancer survivors and their families to improve survivorship care. Clarice’s Room of Hope’s current cancer support programs, offered free of charge, include: Cranial prosthesis, “share your hair” initiatives, individualized makeovers using the “look good feel good approach,” breasts prosthesis and bras, lymphedema sleeves, access to care, transportation, follow-up treatments, WeCare Bags for chemo patients, a community support group that meets monthly, private counseling and outreach by volunteer survivors, and assistance with utility and grocery needs. Clarice’s Room of Hope currently has 42 open files and provided assistance to 78survivors, male and female, in 2017, with ages ranging from 6 to 84.
The aim of Clarice’s Room of Hope is to sustain these services, to expand the program outreach by marketing these desperately needed services in four rural, underserved counties, and to assist volunteers in meeting the unique needs of cancer survivors and their families.
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