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Korean Outreach Workers Reducing Screening Barriers for Korean Women. Maryland Breast & Cervical Cancer Program Courtney Lewis MPH, CHES Public Education Coordinator. National program screening for eligible, low income, un/under insured women for breast and cervical cancer
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Korean Outreach Workers Reducing Screening Barriers for Korean Women Maryland Breast & Cervical Cancer Program Courtney Lewis MPH, CHES Public Education Coordinator
National program screening for eligible, low income, un/under insured women for breast and cervical cancer Priority populations for screening described as women who are racial, ethnic and/or cultural minorities Program is operated through the 22 Local Health Departments and 2 hospitals in Maryland Maryland Breast & Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP)
Baltimore and Howard Counties both have significant Korean populations From 1990 to 2000 Howard County’s Korean population increased from 2,369 to 6,188, or 161% From 1990 to 2000 Baltimore County’s Korean population increased from 4,893 to 5,249 or 7.2% Source: www.census.gov Korean Population in Baltimore County and Howard County
Korean Language MapSource: Modern Language Association www.mla.org
Barriers to Screening for Korean Women • Language • Lack of familiarity of with preventative health services • Fatalistic attitude • Embarrassment and/or dislike of Pap test • Misperceptions about cancer risk • Procrastination • Fear of having cancer or other disease • Source: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/publications/cc-strategies/korean.htm
Korean Outreach Workers • Are trusted, natural helpers from within the community • Provide emotional support, advice, and tangible aid to members in their network • Provide language interpretation during screening appointments, case management and recall
Korean Outreach Strategies • One-to-one recruitment • PSAs in a local Korean newspapers • Outreach to Korean grocery stores • Word of mouth within the Korean community • Korean faith-based organizations and community centers • Program brochures translated in Korean
Howard County Korean Outreach Program Results • Implemented in 1998 in Howard County • 2.5 times increase in percentage of Asian/Korean clients in the first two fiscal years following implementation
Baltimore County Korean Outreach Program Results • Implemented in 2000 in Baltimore County • 3.2 times increase in percentage of Asian/Korean clients in the first two fiscal years following implementation
Baltimore County Korean Outreach Program Results *Korean Outreach Worker took leave of absence from program for 5 months in Fiscal Year 2006, resulting in lower Asian/Korean women enrolled in program
Implications • The use of bi-lingual Korean outreach workers has demonstrated success in decreasing access barriers and enabled many high-risk Asian/Korean women to obtain breast and cervical cancer screening that they may not have received otherwise.
Sustainability • Continued funding and employment of culturally relevant outreach workers is needed. This concept is illustrated in the significant decrease in percentage of Asian/Korean women served during the period without a Korean Outreach Worker in Baltimore County. • Culturally relevant outreach produces meaningful health communication and progress eliminating related disparities by bridging the health care divide.