SINAI Urban Health Institute
Research / Evaluation
Project:Helping Her Live: Gaining Control of Breast Health
| Introduction: | Black women are dying from breast cancer at a much higher rate than white women. In 1980, black and white women in Chicago had the same rate of death for breast cancer. During the last 25 years, this drastically worsened for black women. More specifically, in 2005, black women in Chicago were twice as likely to die from breast cancer as white women (rate ratio = 2.16) - a disparity which is far worse than those observed nationally and in other cities. In response to these data, the Sinai Urban Health Institute and other concerned partners held a city-wide Summit to better understand and address this alarming disparity. On March 27, 2007, there was a Call to Action in which breast health experts, community leaders and health care providers examined three main hypotheses for this growing disparity: mammography access, mammography quality and treatment quality. They formed the Metropolitan Breast Cancer Task Force which put forth 37 key recommendations on how to fix this problem in a groundbreaking report, released in October 2007. To access this report and learn more about the Task Force and its many new initiatives and funding streams, visit: www.chicagobreastcancer.org In addition, the SUHI designed and implemented a Community Navigation program, titled “Helping Her Live: Gaining Control of Breast Cancer”. Funded by the Avon Foundation, this innovative community approach to improve breast health outcomes was launched in October 2008 and targets two underserved and racially/ethnically diverse Chicago communities: North Lawndale and Humboldt Park. HHL conducted numerous outreach activities to meet women where they live in the community and to navigate them to optimal breast health services, including screening mammograms, follow-up to abnormal mammograms, services for women with breast symptoms, and any treatment, as needed. The following reports describe how the project was developed and some of its key accomplishments. |
| Project plan: | Helping Her Live (HHL) is a culturally appropriate breast cancer education and outreach program targeting women in two Chicago communities.
It aims to Gain Control of Breast Cancer in Humboldt Park and North Lawndale by empowering women with information, helping women obtain routine breast cancer screenings and working with women to eliminate delays in obtaining test results and additional follow-up as needed. The HHL Program intends to be a community model to navigate breast health services and to measure its effectiveness in improving breast health outcomes such as an increase in routine mammograms and reduction in number of delays. Click here to view our Project Brochure. |
| Project updates: | Upcoming Community Events, June 2010 June 5, 2010 - Leamington Foods presents a Vision for a Healthy North Lawndale Family Health and Wellness Fair June 6, 2010 - Sinai's 2010 Avon Walk Cheering Station June 19, 2010 - 32nd Annual Puerto Rican Cultural Center's People's Parade
Past Community Events Breast Cancer Month Awareness Community Forums, October 2009 In October 2009, HHL hosted four community forums to reach out to women about the importance of breast cancer screening and to raise awareness about HHL program. At each forum, HHL staff spoke about the serious disparities plaguing the North Lawndale and Humboldt Park communities, reported back on the results from the HHL Community Survey administered with 2,200 women the previous year, and provided opportunities to sign up for breast cancer screenings. We reached several hundred women during October. Highlights from the four forums are summarized: HHL Community Forums Community Walk, August 2009 On Saturday, August 1, 2009, the Helping Her Live (HHL) program joined together with Open Streets Chicago to hold its very first Community Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness. Close to 200 women, men and children who lived in North Lawndale, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and other Westside communities and suburbs walked 3K in celebrating survivors and women who get routine mammograms, while remembering our angels. Highlights of the day are summarized: HHL Walk Summary Photos from HHL Community Walk: Snapfish photo album. **NOTE: If you do not already have a free Snapfish account, you will have to create one. To do so, click ‘Start Here' from the Snapfish homepage.
Free Breast Health Awareness Educational Workshops Community Events We also attend various community health fairs and events to get the word out about the HHL program and its services. By partnering with local city councilmen, community leaders/advocates, writing articles for local newsletters and participating in local fairs, we are spreading key health messages about getting a mammogram and sharing information on how to obtain preventative health screenings. If you know of an event and would like to involve HHL, please contact us. Hotline – 1-877-HER-LIF2 / 1-877-437-5432 The HHL Hotline is designed to help women navigate the healthcare system in their area and find services that are accessible to them. The Hotline serves as a tool for scheduling mammography appointments, assisting callers in receiving free or low-cost mammograms (if the caller is uninsured), assisting callers in understanding the results of their mammograms, serving as a reminder for their annual mammograms, and providing callers with answers to any questions or concerns they may have about breast health. Community Partners HHL is a team of dedicated health educators and epidemiologists prepared to help women receive the breast health services they need and deserve. Our community partners include the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Sinai Community Institute and the West Humboldt Park Development Council. |
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| Contact information: | For more information regarding this project, please send an e-mail to Ami M. Shah at suhi@sinai.org |
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