Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in Texas women. Studies show minority women with no health insurance are less likely to survive breast cancer than other women in the U.S. The A Su Salud Breast Health Program is for women in Bexar County with little education about breast cancer who need help with the healthcare systems. Our goal is to create changes in lifestyles and behaviors to reduce cancer rates in South Texas.

For women 40 and older, living in high risk areas, we will provide 6,800 mammograms and navigate women through breast screening services. This will increase the breast cancer screening rate for CareLink members, our fin...

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in Texas women. Studies show minority women with no health insurance are less likely to survive breast cancer than other women in the U.S. The A Su Salud Breast Health Program is for women in Bexar County with little education about breast cancer who need help with the healthcare systems. Our goal is to create changes in lifestyles and behaviors to reduce cancer rates in South Texas.

For women 40 and older, living in high risk areas, we will provide 6,800 mammograms and navigate women through breast screening services. This will increase the breast cancer screening rate for CareLink members, our financial assistance program, from 60% to 75%. We will also reach over 100,000 community members in the target area directly through outreach, and education about breast cancer.

To do this, we will use our 20 year-old A Su Salud (To your Health) program to encourage good breast health throughout the community and serve as many people as possible. We will interview men and women to find out how they feel about breast cancer and use their reactions to write monthly, bilingual newsletters. People will be chosen from the community and featured in the newsletters. News stories will show how people overcame barriers to cancer screening. Our volunteers will deliver these newsletters to local elementary schools, small businesses, churches, day cares, clinics and community organizations.

Reactions from the interviews will be used to develop public service announcements. We will produce short, 60-second videos and offer television stations the chance to air them. These videos will feature people from the community and an expert who will present additional information and details. The videos will also be made available on social media Internet channels like, Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. Once the health promotion campaign has begun, we will begin contacting women to remind them it is time to get their mammogram.

Our most experienced patient navigators will work to remove financial barriers, arrange for transportation and encourage women to get screened for breast cancer. Patient navigators serve as links between the community, the health system, doctors, and social workers. They are very successful at increasing screening rates because they are different from other medical personnel. Patient navigators are flexible at problem solving and help patients overcome problems, rather than simply handing them a set of instructions to follow.

UHS recognizes the high personal and community cost of cancer. Through the A Su Salud Breast Health Program, we will reduce the burden of breast cancer by increasing screening among our uninsured minority women. During this 3-year program, we expect to find breast cancer earlier, increase mammography screening rates, and reduce breast cancer in our community.

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