Prevent Cancer Foundation® awards $250,000 to LGBTQ+ cancer prevention and early detection programs throughout the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kyra Meister
703-836-1746
kyra.meister@preventcancer.org
Alexandria, Va. – To advance the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s bold goal to reduce cancer deaths by 40% by 2035, the Foundation’s community grants program announces its support of 10 projects dedicated to increasing cancer prevention and early detection in LGBTQ+ communities across the U.S., from Palm Springs, California to New Hyde Park, New York. The projects were selected through a competitive grants process and each program will receive a one-year, $25,000 grant.
The projects focus on increasing education, risk reduction and screening for breast, cervical, colorectal, liver and HPV-associated cancers including anal and cervical, in the wake of mass screening postponements and cancellations due to COVID-19. These projects will have a direct impact on members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom lack access to cancer prevention and early detection services.
“We are thrilled to be supporting this diverse array of projects that bring attention to cancer screening disparities in the LGBTQ+ community,” said Heather Mackey, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCN, Senior Director of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection at the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “There is a great need to provide services to support the unique health barriers faced by this community, and our grantees are making that possible so all populations can access the health care they need to prevent cancer or detect it early.”
Since 2007, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in community grants in 37 states and American Samoa and to the Washoe Tribe. The 2022 community grant recipients include:
Albie Aware Inc.
Sacramento, Calif.
Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation, the largest nonprofit organization dedicated solely to breast cancer in the greater Sacramento area, will bring mobile mammograms to the LGBTQ+ community. At least 90 individuals will receive mammograms. They will host a live, virtual event on breast cancer awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.
Cheeky Charity
Palm Springs, Calif.
Cheeky Charity specializes in innovative awareness campaigns and LGBTQ populations. “March Your Butt — Palm Springs,” is a multi-level series of interventions to be held in Palm Springs, California during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March. All activities will facilitate linkages to care for colorectal and anal cancer screenings, HPV vaccinations and associated wrap-around services. They plan to leverage the impact of the local initiative to generate momentum for future interventions.
Community Health Project Inc.
New York, N.Y.
Callen-Lorde’s Cervical Cancer Screening Project aims to mitigate barriers, address gaps in care and improve access to culturally affirmative cervical cancer screening services for lesbian, bisexual and transgender or gender non-binary individuals with a cervix living in New York City, with an emphasis on serving community members who are uninsured and/or persons of color. The project will implement tailored provider and patient-level interventions designed to improve disparities in cervical cancer screening uptake and adherence rates.
House of Transplant and Cancer
Torrance, Calif.
The project, “Fatty Liver, Cirrhosis and Hepatitis Screening, Education, and Vaccination for the LGBTQ+ Community of Riverside County, CA,” provides the opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to receive free education, liver screenings and hepatitis vaccinations. Individuals at higher risk for liver cancer are those who have hepatitis B and C infection, those with fatty liver disease and those with other causes of liver cirrhosis. Hepatitis B and C disproportionately impact the LGBTQ+ community.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s LGBTQ+ Cancer Prevention Coalition Program will develop and promote capacity building to enhance breast/chest, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening services for LGBTQ+ community members. A multifaceted approach will include implementing community education sessions to reach 1,000 LGBTQ+ community members with the goal to increase screening rates by 20%. Patient navigation services will address logistical, psychosocial and financial challenges, and coordinate diagnostic follow-up and expedient transition into treatment, as needed.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Baton Rouge, La.
People who identify as LGBTQ+ continue to be underserved for cancer screening. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s project will consist of outreach and education, no-cost breast and colorectal cancer screening, patient navigation for those with abnormal findings and provider trainings in the hopes of encouraging LGBTQ+ communities in Louisiana and Mississippi to receive recommended cancer screenings.
Norton Healthcare
Louisville, Ky.
LGBTQ+ community members face a higher prevalence than the community at large of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), which is known to be linked to cancer. This project aims to increase vaccination rates among LGBTQ+ adults ages 19-26 and the children of LGBTQ+ parents. Project staff will collaborate with community members to distribute QR-coded promotional items that enable enduring access to HPV and cancer risk education and vaccine appointment scheduling.
Panhandle Breast Health
Amarillo, Texas
Panhandle Breast Health, in partnership with Haven Health Clinics, will create the Transcending Limits Cancer Screening Initiative, a pilot project that will build on existing successful programs in conducting outreach specific to the LGBTQ community. The outreach will include access to no-cost mammograms and low-cost Pap tests and HPV vaccinations. Panhandle Breast Health will coordinate efforts with Haven Health to provide information on cancer screening to the LGBTQ community.
St. John’s Well Child & Family Center
Los Angeles, Calif.
Funding from Prevent Cancer Foundation will allow St. John’s to add a new cancer prevention component to their existing community outreach programming and services for transgender individuals and the broader LGBQ+ population in L.A. Through community events, support groups and a social media campaign, the Transgender Health Program will reach approximately 5,000 individuals through cancer education, social media engagement HPV vaccination and staff training.
Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation
Fountain Valley, Calif.
The Cancer Education and Patient Navigation Program provides comprehensive cancer education, prevention and early detection support, focused on a community in which cancer is the top cause of death. This program provides linguistically and culturally sensitive education and patient navigation. It aims to expand its reach and provide its comprehensive approach—tailored to the Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ community—through strategic partnerships with local LGBTQ+ serving organizations and groups.
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About the Prevent Cancer Foundation®
The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is the only U.S. nonprofit organization focused solely on saving lives across all populations through cancer prevention and early detection. Through research, education, outreach and advocacy, we have helped countless people avoid a cancer diagnosis or detect their cancer early enough to be successfully treated.
The Foundation is rising to meet the challenge of reducing cancer deaths by 40% by 2035. To achieve this, we are committed to investing $20 million for innovative technologies to detect cancer early and advance multi-cancer screening, $10 million to expand cancer screening and vaccination access to medically underserved communities, and $10 million to educate the public about screening and vaccination options.
For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.