2019 Education Grants
Big Bend Rural Health Network: “We are One”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women, other than skin cancer, regardless of race and ethnicity within the United States (CDC, 2017). Out of 100,000 women, nearly 126 new cases will arise and 21 women will die from this disease per year. Black women make up the highest demographic to die per 100,000 from breast cancer (SEER, 2015). Our program, “We Are One”, aims to reduce this health disparity through educational workshops and interactive classes in Jefferson and Madison County.
Big Bend Rural Health Network. (BBRHN) proposes providing a one-year project to educate vulnerable populations about information related towards breast health. Empowering participants to take preventive steps in reducing the effects of breast cancer, “We are One” influences the behaviors that shape the view of breast cancer. Learning about proactive measures to use before diagnosis, identifying risk factors for breast cancer and understanding the importance of early detection, we hope to leave individuals with the necessary tools to deal with breast health and breast cancer. Through the power of education and interaction, a foundation can be created to stand upon in being proactive about breast health and breast cancer.
Debbie Turner Cancer Care and Resource Center: “Orange and lake County Adult Breast Cancer Educational Sessions and Teen Breast Cancer Educational Sessions”
All individuals are welcome top attend workshops in Orange and Lake Counties. Men, Women and Teens are encouraged to learn how to become advocates for their own breast health and can do so in an environment in which they can be among their peers. Sessions will be held at the Debbie Turner Cancer Care and Resource Center in Orange County and the East Lake Chamber in Lake County. Teen sessions are held in Apopka High School and Wekiva Highschool during the school year.
Light meal will be provided at the sessions with educational materials. Local experts from medical groups, non-profits, cancer navigation teams and breast cancer survivors will provide different perspectives to empower individuals to be proactive in their breast health.
Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida, Inc: “Women SHINE Project”
Family Health Centers of South Florida, Inc. (“FHC”) will be continuing and expanding the Women SHINE Project (Sharing Hope, breast health Information, and the Newest guidelines leaving women Empowered to know their own bodies). This Project provides educational opportunities that allow women to become proactive advocates for their own breast health. This Project targets and benefits the uninsured and underserved women in Lee, Charlotte, and western Hendry Counties through critical one-on-one and group education workshops. With transportation being a major barrier to care for these uninsured and underserved women, the SHINE team provided and will continue to provide education on-site by:
- Visiting migrant outreach health fair events at local farmworker housing/camps while migrant farmworkers seek free medical care.
- Visiting local food pantries throughout three-county area (Lee, Charlotte, and western Hendry) as mothers in need seek out food necessities.
- Setting up a breast health booth at many of the FHC medical sites and providing one-on-one education as women wait to be seen by their doctor as a walk in/sick visits,
To eliminate language barriers and to better reach the population in need, the culturally- sensitive, tri-lingual SHINE Project care team speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Creole.
Gilda’s Club South Florida: “Breast Health for Life”
Gilda’s Club of South Florida will present interactive educational Breast Cancer Workshops entitled “Breast Health for Life” designed to engage participants in becoming proactive advocates for their own breast health. Six (6) 90 minute workshops will be held, three workshops in Broward County and three workshops in Miami-Dade County.
Breast Health for Life will retain experts in the field from partner hospitals. Presentations will instruct participants in how to identify genetic and lifestyle risk factors, obtain appropriate screening, employ lifestyle changes, mitigate expectations and understand treatment procedures, understand and create healthy and palatable nutrition options, understand potential pharmacological interactions and side effects of treatment, as explore wellness strategies in integrated medicine.
Health Education, Prevention & Promotion, Inc. (HEPP): “Faith based Breast Cancer Outreach- Educating and Empowering Haitian Women to take change of their Breast Health
Health Education Prevention & Promotion, Inc. (HEPP) provides linguistically and culturally appropriate health education in English and Creole directed at improving health literacy. A focus area is breast cancer due to evidence of late stage diagnosis of cancer, disproportionate breast cancer mortality rates and lack of culturally appropriate information on cancer among US-Blacks and Caribbean blacks. After two years of providing its unique 3-part series of breast health education at Haitian churches, HEPP is expanding its program to include African Americans and Black Caribbean. HEPP’s faith-based comprehensive breast cancer awareness and education program seeks to improve beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, screening and treatment behaviors among medically underserved, low literacy and linguistically isolated Haitian women, US-Black women and Caribbean Black women living in Miami and Homestead. The program which has empowered Haitian women to take charge of their breast health in the last 2 years will also now reach other black women who face similar disparities in breast cancer outcome due to screening practices, access to care, and overall socioeconomic status. The program will be conducted at Haitian churches and at churches with a high concentration of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the Miami and Homestead area.
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville: “Community Outreach Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Planning and Wellbeing Seminar”
Care of breast cancer patients must continue beyond active cancer treatment however survivorship care is often fragmented once cancer treatment is completed. Coordination between medical oncology specialists and primary care providers is necessary to ensure that the cancer survivor's health needs are met. Survivorship care plans (SCP) are designed to fill gaps in this transition. Several observational studies have found that SCPs improve psychological wellness and provide patients with better knowledge of follow-up care however few cancer patients receive SCPs. Also, wellness recommendations must be taught to breast cancer patients to reduce the risk of recurrence, improve breast cancer outcomes and to enhance quality of life during and after breast cancer treatment. Mayo Clinic's Community Outreach: Breast Cancer Survivorship Planning and Wellbeing Workshop is a free educational event. Attendees are encouraged to bring a caregiver. Participants will: receive a sample SCP template; engage in an energizing breast cancer survivorship education presentation focused on healthy living; participate in stress management/resiliency training and receive a copy of Stress Free; learn how to implement gentle, restorative yoga into their daily routine; experience creative renewal art therapy first hand; and sample breast cancer superfoods during a live cooking demonstration.
Miami Dade Area Health Education Center, Inc.: “Hands on Health: Youth Breast Cancer Education Program”
Miami-Dade Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve access to quality, comprehensive health care and education for the underserved, uninsured, economically needy, and other vulnerable individuals throughout Miami-Dade County through academic- community partnerships. MDAHEC provides “Hands on Health” Breast Cancer Education Program to middle school, high school, and college students. This program provides a thorough yet easily understood explanation of breast cancer. It is comprised of different facts, videos, statistics, visuals, and activities that are geared to teenage men and women in Miami-Dade and Broward County schools and youth serving sites, and colleges and universities. This program’s objectives are to educate these young men and women about breast cancer and the need for early diagnosis and to encourage them to develop a life-long habit of breast health self-awareness.
Moffitt Cancer Center: “SOAR (Survivors Overcoming and Achieving Resilience)”
There are four components of Survivorship Care: prevention, surveillance, interventions and coordination between oncology and primary care/specialists. As part of the initial visit in Moffitt’s Survivorship Program, we provide a comprehensive and personalized care plan to our patients with a focus on wellness. We understand the transition from active treatment phase into the extended or permanent phase of survivorship can be fraught with many unexpected physical, emotional, psychological and social challenges. Our patients do not have to face this transition alone. We are constantly thinking of innovative ways to provide support and guidance to our patients on a path to wellness earlier in their cancer journey. As part of that process, we are partnering with the Breast Program to introduce the principles of wellness within 6 months of completion of therapy. This is a critical period where survivors are uniquely positioned to adapt health and resilient behaviors into their lives not only for them by their children, significant others, and their communities. We want to help women be empowered through knowledge from interactive classes focused on nutrition, exercise and stress management in an 8 week in person training period supplemented with online modules to have the best chance to success.
North Broward Hospital District d/b/a Broward Health: “STEP (Survivor Transition and Education Program)”
Broward Health's Survivor Transition and Education Program (STEP) will address the need for transition support from treatment to extended survival among breast cancer survivors who belong to the target population, which includes low-income, indigent, underserved, un/underinsured, and/or ethnic minorities residing in Broward County. STEP's key activity, the provision of education in a small group setting, will increase access to the breast cancer continuum of care from active treatment through survivorship and reduce barriers to quality of life experienced by breast cancer survivors. STEP will serve the target population by providing four half-day education sessions that address topics and concerns related to Nutrition, Survivorship Care, Overall Physical Wellness, and Late Side Effects of Treatment. STEP's success will be measured by achieving the number of projected services. As a result of STEP, breast cancer survivors will receive education that supportsquality of life into survivorship.
SISTAAH Talk, Inc: “Lil SISTAAH Talk”
Lil Sistaah Talk! Is a breast health program which highlights breast cancer prevention via breast health education, healthy eating, physical activity, and hence reduced incidence and mortality. Promotion of good breast health and modifiable lifestyles changes are one approach. To that end, Sistaah Talk! has designed an interactive workshop for pre-mammogram aged adult women and female relatives of breast cancer survivors, who have not been diagnosed with cancer. The primary scope of Lil Sistaah Talk! Is to enhance pre-workshop breast health knowledge, promote prevention tactics, eliminate misperceptions and allay fears related to breast cancer for participants. The Lil Sistaah Talk! Curriculum is a four part teaching on breast health behavior, cancer prevention, early detection and participant role play. At the conclusion of the Lil’ SISTAAH Talk workshops, pre mammogram aged women and family members of breast cancer survivors will be able to: 1) complete a self-assessment of breast health knowledge; 2) recognize abnormal and identify changes in breasts; 3) identify breast healthy behavior concepts; 4) list lifestyle behaviors for breast cancer risk reduction and prevention; and 5) advocate for individual/personal healthy breast health. With an expected average participation of about 25-30 participants per session, we anticipate educating a minimum of 400 women.
Sisters Network Northeast Florida, Inc.: “Talking with your Doctor about your Breast Health Care”
Studies show that poor communication between healthcare providers and their patients produce barriers to optimal treatment and good outcomes. The purpose of this project is to educate women in the importance of communicating with their healthcare providers about their own breast health and to aid them into becoming proactive participants in their screening, diagnosis and treatment decisions. Improving the quality of communication and successful dialogue between doctor and patient is important for improved patient outcomes.
The project consists of six educational workshops presented over a 12-month period in Jacksonville’s Health Zone 1 where breast health disparities and the highest breast cancer mortality rates have been identified. It will target the minority and medically underserved women in zip codes 32202, 32204, 32206, 32208, 32209, and 32254. Issues such as fear, physician/patient trust, understanding a breast diagnosis, and compliance with medical orders will be presented. The ultimate goal of this project is to aid in improving outcomes, saving lives, and achieving a better quality of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer within the target population.
Women’s Center of Jacksonville, Inc.: “Bosom Buddies”
The Bosom Buddies program will provide breast health information to women in Duval, Baker, Clay, Putnam, St. John’s and Nassau Counties in Northeast Florida. Bosom Buddies provides both diagnosed and undiagnosed women who may be economically and medically disadvantaged with access to information, consultation, and education regarding detection, lifestyle, and treatment options. Support for these women comes in the form of education workshops, one-on-one meetings with the Bosom Buddies project coordinator and consultation with a breast cancer specialist physician.