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Outreach Core
Specific Aims
The R24 Resource Development Grant will allow for the development of a Community Outreach and Information Dissemination Core (COIDC) focusing on the reduction of cancer morbidity and mortality among African-Americans and Latinos. The overall goal is to plan, develop and initiate a Community Outreach and Dissemination core that can serve as a resource for disseminating cancer information, facilitating minority involvement in science education and promoting minority participation in cancer clinical research. The first year will consist of assessing current activities and their cultural appropriateness, enhancing the network of community organizational collaborators, as well as identifying and developing community-based strategies, with actual implementation beginning near the second year and continuing in subsequent years. The specific aims are to:
- Develop and initiate a coordinated plan of cancer education and information dissemination to minority communities in New Jersey by pulling together existing UMDNJ and NJCU units along with other appropriate community organizations.
- Develop an infrastructure of university researchers, community-based organizations, and healthcare facilities that can assist in the education, recruitment and retention of minorities into clinical trials and other cancer-related research.
- Build upon current pipeline programs of science education at UMDNJ and NJCU offered to area high schools students to develop and initiate an EXPORT Center program that incorporates a focus on health disparities.
Personnel
Community Advisory Committee
Progress Report
Aim: Build and extend relationships in the communities where health disparities exist for cancer educational information dissemination and the promotion of participation in biomedical and behavioral research as well as prevention and intervention activities;
One of the specific aims of this core was to develop an infrastructure of cancer researchers and health educators from UMDNJ and NJCU to lay the groundwork for enhancing connections with community agencies, institutions, organization and individuals that interface with residents most apt to be affected by cancer disparities. As part of the R24, considerable efforts were made to build, extend, and enhance relationships with community organizations and individuals. To this end, the following activities have taken place since the inception of the R24 grant.
- A critical element of the EXPORT R24 effort was the active participation of community agencies, organizations, institutions and individuals. The project team assembled representatives from various sectors of the community to participate. A list of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) members follows:
Rhonda Berry is a student at New Jersey City University, a three-time breast cancer survivor, and an advocate for breast cancer screening for African American Women. She has established a wellness program for women with breast cancer.
Annette Hubbard obtained her nursing education from the Grady Hospital School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned her nursing diploma. During this time, she began her volunteerism with the American Red Cross, which has continued until now. After graduation, she migrated to Newark, NJ where she was employed at Presbyterian Hospital until her retirement.
Jessica Morse is the Associate Director of Development and Public Relations at Community Agencies Corporation. Community Agencies Corporation (CAC) serves as the umbrella corporation of five Newark based not-for-profit agencies serving economically and educationally disadvantaged children and families of Newark and the surrounding communities.
Charles L. Herring was the former director of radiology at St. Clair's Riverside Medical Center. He holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration and is a registered x-ray technologist. He is also the executive director of the Black Men's Health Project Network.
Joyce Hurley is an employee at NJCU where she works as a secretary in the Health Sciences Department. She lives in Jersey City and has had a family member with cancer.
Marie Kinsella is Director of Paterson Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition.
Madeline R. Brown is a Registered Nurse who has spent over 27 years in public health in the Jersey City, Hudson County community.
Arlene Simon is the Executive Director of the Women's Equity Council Volunteer Health Care Providers
Robert (Bob) Slade is Labor Relations Assistant for the Hudson County Welfare Department. He is also a prostate cancer survivor.
Elnora Watson is the Executive Director of the Urban League of Hudson County.
- In the first year, a job description for the Outreach Specialist was developed by the Outreach Core Leader, Marcia Pinkett-Heller in order to obtain University approval for hiring. Candidates were interviewed and Rosa Hidalgo was hired as an Outreach Specialist on February 7. 2005. An office was located for her, a dedicated telephone and network connection installed, and a laptop was provided to Ms. Hidalgo by NJCU.
- The Community Advisory Committee met quarterly. In the first year, they reviewed Center objectives, reviewed the minority cancer statistics for Essex and Hudson Counties, discussed community beliefs, practices and needs, and identified community resources to add to asset maps of Jersey City. A schedule of meetings was established, with sites rotating between UMDNJ and NJCU . In the second year, the Advisory Committee planned a forum, which was held June 3, 2006. (See Appendix A)
- The Community Advisory Committee also helped in the creation of materials and brochures for distribution at outreach activities. The Community Advisory Committee initiated discussion on the development of Cancer Information brochures specific to Hudson County. The target audiences for the brochures are 1) Spanish-speaking women; 2) Spanish-speaking men; 3) English-speaking women; 4) English-speaking men. The focus of the brochures is breast cancer awareness for women and prostate cancer awareness for men. Each brochure contains information and addresses of cancer screening sites in the area. A cancer resource guide was also developed which included signs and symptoms of various cancers and resources for screenings and support groups. (See Appendix A)
- In addition to the resource guide, GIS mapping of Jersey City resources including barbers, hair salons, Laundromats, hospitals, churches, etc., have been prepared and will provide the foundation for outreach activities. A similar map has been prepared for the Essex County Barbershop Initiative. Barbershops have been mapped according to the numbers of African American men in particular communities. This map has allowed us to effectively outreach to men in those communities. See Figure 3 and 4 for copies of both maps.
- In addition, under their guidance, a survey was conducted with the school nurses in the Jersey City Public Schools system to determine the existence or level of cancer health information provided during the health component of the school curriculum. The information received showed that there is no cancer information being provided as part of the local health curriculum.
Establishing Relationships and Partnerships
With funding from the R24, a number of strategic relationships have been established with community organizations, groups and individuals. These relationships include but are not limited to, cancer outreach committees, faith-based organizations, community based organizations and educational institutions. These relationships continue to provide opportunities to disseminate cancer information, enroll at-risk populations in local cancer screenings, advocate for minority participation in clinical trials, and advance research as it relates to minorities and cancer disparities. Below is a list of some of the external organizations with whom we have partnered on research and community dissemination activities:
- Newark Community Health Centers, Inc
- Newark Health Department
- East Orange Health Department
- Elmwood Presbyterian Church
- St. James AME Church
- Project Impact
- American Cancer society, Newark Division
- Jersey City Medical Clinic
- Newark Municipal Council Health Committee
- Baptist ministers Council
- Concerned Black Nurses of New Jersey
- Hudson County Cancer Coalition
- Urban League of Hudson County
- Hoboken Family Planning
- Metropolitan Family Health Network
- Emmanuel Pentecostal Church
- Horizon Family Health Center, Jersey City Division
- Zion Baptist Church
- Ocean Ave Baptist Church
- Corinthians Baptist Church
- Dr. Brown and Dr. DiCosimo met with representatives from University Hospital, the Chief urologist at UMDNJ-UH, and the Cancer Center Research Director to discuss how gaps in screening and treatment services could be addressed in Newark. We agreed to work to increase the scheduling of prostate cancer screenings in Newark and coordinate our efforts with the hospital's outreach department. The need for a community health worker and patient navigator was identified as a very important strategy for closing the gap.
- Dr. Brown also held meetings to establish partnerships and a working group around prostate cancer outreach for African American men in Newark. These included meetings with Virgil Simons of Prostate Net regarding the Barbershop Initiative; Dr. Alvaro Simmons, from the Federally Qualified Health Center in Newark; Betty Gallo of the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center; the Essex County Cancer Coalition, and the Newark Cancer Initiative sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
- A meeting was held with Mr. Isaac Hopkins, a community member of the UMDNJ-IRB to discuss clinical trial recruitment. Mr. Hopkins in an African American community member who has agreed to make community presentations on clinical trial recruitment and the IRB process.
- Professor Pinkett-Heller and Ms. Hidalgo attended the Black Nurses Conference on Feb. 26, 2005 in Newark and were introduced to the audience from the podium. Several people expressed interest in becoming involved with the project. Ms. Hidalgo followed up by including them in the contact database.
- Relationships have been established with Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey and Essex County College for recruiting undergraduate men to become Young Adult Prevention Specialists to educate men about prostate cancer and promote free prostate cancer screenings.
- Relationships have been established with the Jersey City Medical Center, one of the major health institutions in Hudson County. Cancer facilities and support services are being investigated in order to provide opportunities for screenings, diagnosis and treatment options for the residents of Jersey City and Hudson County. This relationship will support Dr. de la Torre's liver cancer risk assessment research.
- Relationships are being established with the local schools to encourage them to include cancer related health education to students. This effort will be discussed in the minority education core.
- Project EXPORT has partnered with Project IMPACT, a project of the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services to improve minority participation and access to cancer clinical trials in New Jersey. This projects trains ambassadors to educate the community about clinical trails and to encourage their participation.
Major Accomplishments: The identification and GIS mapping of community assets for targeted outreach was a major accomplishment. Other major accomplishments include the annual community educational forums and the expansion of relationships with community organizations.
Major Challenges : Continued efforts are required to promote the participation of community partners in biomedical and behavioral research as well as prevention and intervention activities.
Community Outreach Projects
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