South Texas Rural Health Services (STRHS) is proposing to develop a Cancer Awareness & Transportation (CAT) project. The CAT project seeks to further the goals of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS) Program and the Texas Cervical Cancer Strategic Plan by reducing barriers for women who are eligible for, but not participating in, no-cost breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention services.

The key barriers we will address include: limited transportation options, lack of awareness of available services and how to access those services, insufficient patient management and follow-up care, and linguistic and cultural challenges for re...

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South Texas Rural Health Services (STRHS) is proposing to develop a Cancer Awareness & Transportation (CAT) project. The CAT project seeks to further the goals of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS) Program and the Texas Cervical Cancer Strategic Plan by reducing barriers for women who are eligible for, but not participating in, no-cost breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention services.

The key barriers we will address include: limited transportation options, lack of awareness of available services and how to access those services, insufficient patient management and follow-up care, and linguistic and cultural challenges for reaching Hispanic families. The results of the CAT project may be significant in that we will be reducing some of the most prevalent barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention services, and expect to see a corresponding increase in service utilization and reduction in the incidence of preventable cancers. Additionally, as screening participation increases, we anticipate an increase in cancer survival rates because cancers will be detected at an earlier, more treatable stage.

Of particular interest is determining to what extent bilingual case management, dedicated almost exclusively to patients who need breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention services, will impact screening rates, and ultimately, earlier detection and increased cancer survival rates. The key innovative component of the CAT project will be the increased capacity to provide low-income patients in our service area with access to a network of quality breast and cervical cancer service providers with whom we partner. By strengthening the network, patients in the target population will be able to access an entire system of breast and cervical cancer health care, from education, prevention and screening to diagnostic services, treatment and support. Our two new Case Managers, on their own and through partnerships, will also be able to facilitate Medicaid enrollment, utilization and retention for low-income patients.

Another innovative component of the CAT project is the development and implementation of a strategic Community Outreach and Marketing Program to support project goals and objectives. Though it may seem obvious that health care services need to be marketed, many health clinics focus on providing services and give marketing scant attention. But every health care clinic needs to continuously promote its services and “tell its story” so that underserved populations know what is available and how to access services, feel comfortable seeking out and using services, and value the services provided.

The proposed Community Outreach and Marketing Program will be developed as a “template” that can be used by other health care clinics in Texas, since each health clinic has its own unique service area, and few, if any, overlapping patient populations.

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