Cervical cancer has become the ultimate preventable cancer success story. The Pap test, developed in the late 1920s and first widely used in the 1940s, was adopted as an essential screening tool for early detection and treatment, and in turn lowered the cervical cancer mortality rate by over 70%. More recently, another leap in cervical cancer prevention was made possible with the development of the HPV vaccine.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to have played an important role in making cervical cancer preventable through funding cutting edge research, educating the public and supporting community outreach programs. Cervical cancer has always been a priority for the Foundation, having been among the first to fund the research of Dr. Anna R. Giuliano, which led to the development of the HPV vaccine. Among the many other cervical cancer researchers we have funded over the past 25 years, the Foundation recently provided a two year grant to Dr. Subhashini Jagu, whose research is focused on developing a low cost HPV vaccine for global use.

Women don’t have to die from cervical cancer, but unfortunately some still do. Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death among women around the world. In the United States, Hispanic women currently have the highest risk of developing cervical cancer. In 1994, the Prevent Cancer Foundation in partnership with Georgetown University Hospital/Lombardi Cancer Center, the George Washington Cancer Center and the Spanish Catholic Center, created ¡Celebremos la Vida! (Let’s Celebrate Life!), a community outreach program dedicated to providing culturally appropriate cancer-related services to medically underserved Hispanic women. ¡Celebremos! offers both breast and cervical cancer education and screening – providing well over 6,000 Pap tests since its inception. The program also works to ensure that women who need additional medical care are able to receive it, regardless of their financial status. The Foundation also supports Con Amor Aprendemos (With Love We Learn), a community program that works to directly reduce HPV-related diseases in the Hispanic community in Atlanta, Ga. In the area of public education, the Foundation launched the “Confess! Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign”  to educate all young women about early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. The interactive Web site is designed to increase awareness and encourages women to pledge to get screened for cervical cancer.

We want all women to take advantage of the advancements made in cervical health. Pap tests are essential every two to three years if you are over 21 years old, and the HPV vaccine is highly recommended if you are between 9 and 26 years old. I strongly urge every woman to learn the facts about cervical cancer and talk to her health care professional.

On behalf of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, I wish you a happy – and healthy – 2011!

Congratulations to the Prevent Cancer Foundation on 25 successful years! We are so thrilled to have been a partner with this terrific organization since 2004. That year, Prevent Cancer funded a fledgling project in the rural northeastern portion of Illinois. ¡Celebremos la Vida! (Celebrate Life) at Family Health Partnership Clinic joined other successful ¡Celebremos la Vida! programs operating in the Washington, DC area since 1994. Prevent Cancer Foundation had the foresight to take this program and replicate it in another portion of the country. The Family Health Partnership Clinic took on this project and crafted it to meet the needs of its community. 

One day each month, the Clinic “takes over” the Women’s Health Center of Centegra Hospital. The Clinic brings in its staff, and conducts a day long cancer screening and education program for uninsured Latino women 40 and older. During this time, women are given pap smears, clinical breast exams, mammograms, and cancer prevention education with no charge to them. The day is made more festive with food being available, as well as goodie bags given to each of the women containing toiletries, makeup and other cosmetic items.  Some of the other activities we have had at ¡Celebremos la Vida! include massages, makeup consultations, nutrition counseling, and music. Each month, over 25 women take part in this exciting program that has received national attention.

Through the years, the Prevent Cancer Foundation has been a wonderful partner to the Family Health Partnership Clinic. The Foundation has funded two other initiatives at the Clinic including a cervical cancer reduction program and a Total Health program, designed to address multiple preventative screenings through an intense patient/nurse practitioner visit. Both of these programs have had ripple effects on the Clinic’s work, and we salute the foresight that this Foundation has had.

Congratulations on 25 years – may the next 25 be as productive and innovative as the last. The commitment to ensuring access to the marginalized has been a model that should be replicated throughout the country. We are proud of our affiliation with Prevent Cancer Foundation and look forward to continuing to work with them in this important area.

Editor’s Note: This post is  part of the 25th Anniversary Testimonials Initiative.

Following up on last week’s post about the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s nomination as a City Finalist for the StayClassy Charity of the Year Award for its continuing support of the ¡Celebremos la vida! program, the Foundation would like to share a wonderful story sent to us by Mary Wozniak, MPH, Celebremos  Program Coordinator at the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, DC. In her own words, Mary tells the story of “Mrs. M.,” a Celebremos patient:    

Mrs.  M., a 44 year old patient, came to the Spanish Catholic Center for her annual checkup and Pap smear in April. The doctor counseled her about her risk of breast cancer, and the benefits and risks of getting a screening mammogram. The patient made an informed decision with her physician to have a screening mammogram. She was referred to the ¡Celebremos la vida! program for her mammogram, through the George Washington Mammovan. As she did not have medical insurance, and is low-income, she may not have been able to obtain a screening mammogram and pap smear without this program.

During the mammogram visit, she received culturally appropriate education in Spanish from the ¡Celebremos la vida! Coordinator about cancer screenings and how to reduce her risk of cancer. Her mammogram came back abnormal, and she had additional mammogram views at the George Washington Hospital. When that mammogram came back suspicious for cancer, the Celebremos Coordinator assisted Mrs. M. in obtaining medical insurance to cover the cost of a biopsy. The Coordinator assisted the patient every step of the way, by explaining test results and procedures, filling out forms in English, scheduling appointments, and providing emotional support to the patient and her husband.

Mrs.  M.  was referred to a bilingual surgeon who recommended breast surgery. The patient has received her surgery last week, which went smoothly. She is pending the pathology results. Mrs. M. called the Celebremos Coordinator the day after her surgery to thank the Spanish Catholic Center for all the assistance and compassion they offered her throughout the process. The Celebremos Coordinator will continue to follow her closely and navigate her through any necessary follow-up or treatment.

We received this update on September 21, 2010:
I spoke with Mrs. M. today. Her surgery went smoothly, and confirmed that she does not have cancer.  She is doing very well and is back to work since her breast surgery.  She expressed her gratefulness to the center, the patient navigator and the doctors for all the help they have offered her.  She will have one follow-up mammogram in December to ensure stability, and should be back to routine screening after that.

Mrs. M.’s story reminds us that navigating the health care system can be a very frightening experience, especially when you are not insured or a native English speaker. Celebremos coordinators play a crucial role in providing emotional support and assistance with scheduling appointments, filling out forms and explaining test results.  

To read more about Celebremos and its impact on underserved Hispanic communities, click here.

The Family Health Partnership Clinic will improve the health status of the community and reduce the negative economic impact of poor access to care by providing a broad spectrum of services to the underserved with compassion and respect. We recognize that as a community, we are responsible for each other.

The Celebremos clinic is truly a community effort. Centegra Health Systems, one of the few hospital providers in the county, donates the use of their Women’s Center, including use of their new mammography equipment, to Celebremos once a month. On this particular Celebremos day there were 26 women scheduled for screenings. Similar to the Celebremos sites in the DC metro area, women receive a screening mammogram, pap tests and clinical breast exams all in one visit and in a trusted, comfortable and culturally sensitive environment. All of the participants are provided with cancer prevention and early detection education.

The Celebremos team is truly amazing! Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Abby, Diane, Suzanne and many others do a wonderful job coordinating the program, providing interpretation, educating the participants and finding follow-up care and connecting them to other needed social services. It is no wonder that this program has become so popular just based on word-of-mouth. It was wonderful to see this staff in action, and I am proud of the Foundation’s continuing commitment to this program and to our partners in McHenry County!

Check out the video of our visit with our McHenry County Celebremos partners!

Filmed at the Spanish Catholic Center in Langley Park, MD, this news story shared the importance of this screening and education program with the DC metro community. Many of the women receiving services that day were very excited to have the WUSA News9 crew present during their charla (cancer education session). Charlas provide information about cancer prevention, including cancer symptoms, statistics and information about the impact of lifestyle on cancer risk. Along with interviewing me, Ms. Roane also interviewed Gabriella, the Celebremos coordinator, and Christine, the Nurse Practitioner who conducts screenings and examinations of participants. Celebremos is an important program which helps an underserved community overcome many barriers to cancer prevention and early detection.
Thanks for profiling this important program, WUSA 9!

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