Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative Sees 137% Increase in Clinical Services in Atlanta Communities

The CHC: Creating Healthier Communities collaboration addresses barriers to care for two types of cancer that disproportionately affect Black and Latine women.

ATLANTA, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — CHC: Creating Healthier Communities proudly announces the latest advancements in its Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative (BCCI), a collaborative health equity effort. The initiative, now in its second year of implementation, focuses on addressing barriers to accessing breast and cervical cancer care among Black and Latine communities in Atlanta. Through strategic partnerships with community-based organizations, CHC aims to significantly improve cancer outcomes and promote health equity.

The initiative’s first year saw impressive results, including increased clinical services by 137%, expanded community engagement by 127%, and the development of critical partnerships aimed at enhancing the breast and cervical cancer care continuum. Moreover, innovative approaches such as transportation assistance, language-specific outreach, and outreach in non-traditional health settings have significantly improved accessibility to care.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative represents CHC’s commitment to community-informed program development and leveraging grantmaking to support evidence-informed, equitable, and responsive initiatives. Research indicates that clinical care influences only about 20% of health and wellness. The remaining 80% of health is driven by health-related behaviors and physical environment and socioeconomic factors such as education, employment, and community safety, often called the social determinants or social drivers of health. By actively engaging community perspectives and expertise, CHC works to decrease the greatest barriers to health equity.

The grantees for CHC’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative include Center for Black Women’s Wellness (CBWW), Feminist Women’s Health Centers (FWHC), and My Style Matters Inc. Additionally, CHC grantee partners also work in collaboration with:

•     Georgia Core (Genetic testing, education, and resources for patients and clients)
•     Turning Point Cancer Rehabilitation (Cancer survivorship referral)
•     ScreenAtlanta Mobile (Mobile Unit referrals)
•     Grady Hospital (Mobile Unit referrals)
•     Northside Hospital (Mammography referrals)
•     Community Organizations including hair salons, rehabilitation scenters, haircare brands, etc.
•     Mexican Consulate
•     Latino Community Fund

In Atlanta, Black women are 39% more likely to die from breast cancer and Hispanic women are 30% more likely to die from cervical cancer than women of other races/ethnicities. CHC expects to create a scalable model that can continue to better serve Black and Latine women and lead to better health outcomes, reduced medical costs and more healthy years for Georgians.

As the BCCI program continues into its second year, CHC’s community partners will continue to build on existing efforts through enhanced community outreach, awareness, and direct services. For more information about CHC’s health equity initiatives, visit chcimpact.org.

About CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
CHC: Creating Healthier Communities exists so that every person in every community has an opportunity to live their healthiest life. We build partnerships to address health inequities by fostering trusted community engagement, fundraising, and offering programs and services to help support communities where everyone can thrive. Together with partners, we’ve raised more than $1 billion in unrestricted funds for more than 5,000 nonprofits, addressing the barriers to health and wellbeing. We have a vast network, partnering with more than 650 businesses and organizations representing 17-21 million individuals. For nearly 70 years, our work has supported the greatest unmet needs for children, individuals, families, and communities—including programs, research, treatments, and care. Join us at chcimpact.org or @chcimpact.

Media Contact

Amanda Ponzar, CHC, 571.302.9171, aponzar@chcimpact.org , chcimpact.org