Fiscal Year 2021 Awarded Grants
Mainline Health Systems
Program: Early Detection
Funding Amount: $55,000.00
Counties Served: Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Cleveland, Desha, Drew, Lincoln
Focus Area(s): Prevention (Breast, Cervical, Colorectal)
Grant Summary: Project Early Detection will allow Mainline Health Systems, Inc. (MHSI) to utilize technology in our efforts to remind our patients throughout Southeast Arkansas by communicating via text messages from within the EMR. The text message campaigns will send patient reminders to their phone for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer screenings that are due as well as inform them of how to schedule an appointment.
MHSI will use the text message campaigns to continue to implement an active recall for cervical cancer screening that are due for all female patients, age 23-64, who have been seen at least once by MHSI provider during the reporting year. MHSI plans to increase the percentage compliant patients to 47% by July 2021.
For colorectal cancer screening, MHSI will recall all patients 50-75, who have been seen at least once by a MHSI provider during the reporting period and plan to increase the percentage compliant patients to 45% by July 2021.
Breast Cancer Screening recalls will be implemented via text messages for all female patients age 40-69, who have been seen at least once by a MHSI provider during the reporting period. MHSI plans to increase the percentage of compliant patients to 65% by July 2021.
CARTI Foundation
Program: Improving Survivorship by Helping Cancer Patients Access Care
Funding Amount: $50,000.00
Counties Served: Statewide
Focus Area(s): Survivorship
Grant Summary: With funding from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition, CARTI will help cancer patients access treatment in a variety of ways:
Fuel cards and/or vouchers will be provided to 300 cancer patients residing in 46 red and yellow counties who are eligible for assistance;
Transportation through vans, cabs, and CareLink will be provided to 40 cancer patients residing in 46 red and yellow counties who are eligible for assistance;
Housing assistance in the form of hotel accommodations will be provided to 50 cancer patients residing in 46 red and yellow counties who are eligible for assistance.
The patients who will benefit are low-income, uninsured and/or underinsured, many of whom live in rural areas of the state. Providing assistance with transportation and housing gives patients a greater chance of survivorship, which can impact public health in Arkansas and support the Arkansas Cancer Plan.
St. Bernard’s Development Foundation
Program: Increasing Screening Mammography & Breast Health Education
Funding Amount: $51,515.00
Counties Served: Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett,
Randolph, Sharp, St. Francis, Woodruff
Focus Area(s): Breast Cancer
Grant Summary: The mission of St. Bernards Healthcare is to “provide Christ-like healing to the community through education, treatment and health services.” St. Bernards Mobile Mammography Unit provides 3D screening mammograms and breast health education in 18 counties in Northeast Arkansas to medically underserved women. St. Bernards Healthcare understands that many women face barriers, such as financial burden, lack of transportation to a fixed mammography facility or do not understand the importance breast health awareness, that prevent them from seeking these life-saving services. Therefore, the Mobile Mammography Unit travels more 13,000 miles a year to increase access to these services for women in their own communities. The St. Bernards Mobile Mammography Unit addresses the need of the bootheel of Missouri as well.
Reynolds Cancer Support House
Program: Saving Lives with Survivorship Care
Funding Amount: $42,400.00
Counties Served: Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian, Yell
Focus Area(s): Survivorship
Grant Summary: The DWRCSH ‘Saving Lives with Survivorship Care’ program goals mirror the ACC Survivorship Goals which are: Reduce the number of cancer deaths in Arkansas. Increase the number of cancer survivors who are living five years longer after diagnosis. And specifically focusing on Objective 5: Address the needs of cancer survivors and their families to improve survivorship care.
The DWRCSH works to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent individuals from getting the right care at the right time. We take great pride in, helping a cancer patient access health care; secure financial assistance; work with physicians and pharmacies to identify affordable medications; coordinate transportation options to and from treatment; access information about treatment options; connect to a compassionate support group; obtain food and housing and clothing; and so much more.
DWRCSH helps cancer patients reduce the many barriers that threaten their chances of receiving the care they need. The services provided by DWRCSH are desperately needed among the primary Arkansas counties served, including Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Scott, Yell, Polk, and beyond. According to the Red County 2017 Report, we serve the RED COUNTY of Franklin, the YELLOW Counties of Crawford, Logan Scott, Yell, Polk and green counties of Sebastian and Johnson. The primary areas served report cancer death rates for all cancers combined that exceed the statewide mortality rate.
CHI St. Vincent Hospital Hot Springs
Program: 3D Standard of Care: Enhancing SW Arkansas Breast Care
Funding Amount: $50,610.00
Counties Served: Clark, Columbia, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Montgomery, Ouachita, Pike, Sevier, Union
Focus Area(s): Breast Cancer
Grant Summary: CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs’ (CHI STV HS) Oncology program is the provider of choice for Garland, Hot Spring, Polk, Clark, Pike and Montgomery counties (per FY 2019 patient data). The Oncology Program’s Breast Clinic serves as the only stationary mammography center for an 18- county region. In FY 2019, the CHI STV HS Breast Clinic supported over 16,000 patient visits including over 2,000 surgeries and procedures. Services include screening and diagnostic mammograms (2D capability), breast ultrasound, breast biopsy, genetic testing, mobile mammography, and breast cancer support and navigation led by a certified Cancer Navigator Breast Provider (APRN). However, lack of access to breast care services combined with 2D mammography as the only imaging option, means women in the targeted 18 southwestern Arkansas counties receive substandard breast screening and care. The Enhancing SW Arkansas Breast Care project supports the acquisition of a Hologic Selenia Dimensions 9000 3D mammography system for its mobile mammography unit to replace the current 2D x-ray technology. Two “red” counties are part of the service area: Little River and Ouachita.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Program: Promoting Lung Cancer Screening/Tobacco Cessation Outreach through the UAMS MammoVan
Funding Amount: $50,475.00
Counties Served: Arkansas, Ashley, Boone, Bradley, Carroll, Chicot, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Grant, Hempstead, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Madison, Miller, Monroe, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Sevier, Union, Van Buren, Yell
Focus Area(s): Lung Cancer
Grant Summary: Low–dose computed topography (LDCT) is a powerful tool used to establish a baseline to assess future or asymptomatic lung cancer at the earliest most treatable stage. When combined with assessment of smoking and provisions for smoking cessation at “a teachable moment’, the mortality risk for lung cancer can be reduced. For fiscal year 2019, 562 eligible at-risk adults received low-dose CT’s at UAMS, and 15 lung cancers were diagnosed and referred to the UAMS Lung Cancer Oncology Team for care. Findings from review of the screening registry indicate 85% of those screened reside within fifty-mile radius of the UAMS screening site in Little Rock. To reduce lung cancer deaths by increasing screening rates, efforts must be made to expand lung cancer knowledge, screening opportunities and preventive services beyond the current service area. That goal can be realized by collaborating with the successful UAMS MammoVan community screening events.
Traveling with the UAMS MammoVan to 42 counties for multiple community events throughout the year, the following will be achieved:
Seventy-five (75) or more eligible adults residing in the targeted counties receive Low-dose CT screenings;
Hardship travel reimbursement provided to 25 low-income non-Medicaid eligible screening candidates;
Tobacco cessation interventions conducted for three hundred (300) active tobacco users;
Seventy-five (75) referrals sent to the BeWell Arkansas for ongoing cessation or other health related services;
Low-dose CT and tobacco cessation educational materials distributed to 1,000 or more attendees of scheduled MammoVan events;
All health care providers notified of community MammoVan/CT event schedule and patient consultations for screening and tobacco cessation services.
Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition
Program: HPV Prevention Workgroup Continuation
Funding Amount: $55,000
Counties Served: Statewide
Focus Area(s): Cervical Cancer
Grant Summary: In 2020-2021, the workgroup will build off of the last four years foundation, focus on maximizing and dispersing our developed educational materials to appropriate partners, and continue to reaffirm the importance of a provider’s strong recommendation for the HPV vaccine, specifically in the rural communities of Arkansas. The coalition remains eager to learn from workgroups and coalitions in other states similar to Arkansas to ensure that all of our activities are meaningful, address health disparities, and increase access to the HPV vaccine.
The allocated funds from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition will 1.) pay an HPV coordinator to convene and facilitate a statewide HPV prevention workgroup as an on-going function, and continue to monitor HPV activities around the state through the workgroup to reduce duplicative efforts 2.) continue to support unique and practical state-wide healthcare provider and community education, and 3.) establish a pool of funds that the HPV prevention workgroup could use to complete projects in support of the HPV vaccination objectives. 4.) host a summit with an HPV focus. The Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition will manage the activities.
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