Monday, April 28, 2025
4/28/2025
Accelerating Cancer Screening - Su Clinica, a community health center serving 30,000 patients in the Rio Grande Valley region of south Texas, will enhance access to screening, outreach, and patient navigation services in close partnership with the nation’s top ranked cancer center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The clinic is requesting $500,000 over a two-year period. The project will begin September 1, 2022 and will conclude in August, 2024. Summary of the Program With the onset of the public health emergency in 2020, the clinic experienced a decline in cancer screenings among its patient population due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Data from the clinic’s 2020 and 2021 Uniform Data System (UDS) reports reflect declines in screenings for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers between -4.86% to -12.48%. Comparisons with national screening rates reflect the decline in screening in the region: Breast National: 78% Su Clinica: 63.75% Cervical National: 80% Su Clinica: 64.60% Colorectal National: 67% Su Clinica: 58.21% As the nation emerges from the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a demonstrable need for outreach, patient engagement, screenings, and referral to follow-up care in the Su Clinica’s service area. The primary barrier to follow-up care and treatment is the lack of services for low income and uninsured residents. The nearest cancer center is over 250 miles to the north. The service area also exhibits the intersectionality of many risk factors, including: poverty level, foreign born concentration, linguistic isolation, no high school diploma, and the number of uninsured. Given the extreme disparities and need within the service area, the collective vision is to step hard on the accelerator and supercharge the evidence-based programs that are already in place in order to quickly achieve measureable results and ensure that patients have access to much needed cancer screening and follow-up c are that address today’s social needs. This will be complemented by cancer specific strategies developed in partnership dating back to 2014. Proposed Use of Funds Requested To address the urgent need for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening and follow up referral for treatment, the clinic requests support for the addition of 5.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to carry out the activities of the grant. Activities will be funded through a combination of grant dollars and program income. With the proposed staffing pattern, the clinic will be able to expand access to cancer screening appointments by an additional 576 hours per year. Increased access will include extended evening and some weekend hours. The goal is to increase the number of patients screened and receiving follow-up referrals by 20% as compared to 2020 levels. Additional staffing will include: a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, Medical Assistants, a Project Manager, and Patient Navigators. Project Activities Include: • Expand hours for screening services – evenings and weekends. • Increase patient care, outreach and patient navigator staff. • Provide patient incentives to increase adherence to screening. • Target Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers for outreach and education regarding screening. • Restructure the clinic’s existing programs to consolidate cancer screening activities under a Cancer Project Manager. • Conduct 6 combined cancer screening and health fair events for all three cancers. • Assist one specialist to exchange information electronically with Su Clinica. • Provide quarterly productivity “Provider Scorecards” with follow up coaching. • Collaboration with MD Anderson for training Su Clinica providers, outreach workers and navigators. • Collaboration with MD Anderson on patient referrals for treatment.
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).