Sunday, May 5, 2024
5/5/2024
PARTNERSHIPS IN COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING in ARKANSAS-UAMS (PICS-AR!) Summary/Abstract: Arkansas’s colon and rectum cancer (CRC) screening rate ranks 42nd in the nation. Partnerships in Colorectal Cancer Screening in Arkansas (PICS-AR!) hopes to reverse this disparity by integrating evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to screen for and detect early stages of colorectal cancer. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, proposes that EBIs will increase local primary care clinic-level colorectal cancer screening rates in Arkansas’s medically underserved counties with low household incomes, low educational attainment, non-English speaking populations and low screening rates. The PICS-AR! project will focus on a) educating healthcare providers about EBIs that can improve screening rates b) targeting populations with EBIs that include provider assessment and feedback, reminder/recalls, public awareness through small media interventions and reducing barriers so Arkansans in rural areas can get access to prevention, early stage diagnosis and treatment. Six strategies will deliver five-year project goals to decrease CRC mortality in Arkansas. They are 1) partnering with clinics to increase EBI support 2) preparing providers to implement EBIs, 3) implementing and supporting EBIs in clinics 4) linking patients to follow-up screening/treatment 5) collecting quality data for CRC screening and 6) preventing CRC by increasing clinic-level CRC screening rates and diagnosis of early stage CRC. Standard data sources will be monitored and analyzed to inform the program’s effectiveness. The key short-term outcome is to show increased clinic-level CRC screening rates and increased use of EBIs by health systems. The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine will work with 1st Choice Healthcare clinics, a federally qualified health center and Arkansas’s quality improvement organization - Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care - to successfully implement PICS-AR!, reducing the incidence of late stage CRC and CRC mortality in Arkansas. This project plans to use funding from the grant opportunity, “Public Health and Health Systems Partnerships to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Clinical Settings.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
