Breast cancer significantly impacts the health and quality of life for young women and metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients. Unfortunately, significant disparities and gaps exist in both the availability and utilization of services and support for these populations. These include access to lifestyle programs, clinical preventive services, and cancer care. For Jewish young breast cancer survivors (YBCS) and mBC patients, their breast cancer is further complicated by hereditary risks associated with deleterious breast cancer (BRCA) gene mutations found among 1:40 Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent, and social and cultural norms affected by a breast cancer diagnosis at a young age and/or living with mBC. Sharsheret (Hebrew for “chain”), a national not-for-profit organization with strategically established regional offices in states with high Jewish population density, was founded in 2001 to provide culturally relevant direct services and support to young Jewish women at risk for, diagnosed with, or surviving breast cancer and their caregivers. Through the proposed project, “LINK® Program - Outreach and Education (OE) Initiative: Multiple Approaches to Support Young Jewish Breast Cancer Survivors and Jewish Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients (LINK-OE),” Sharsheret will increase the availability, expand the dissemination, and escalate the implementation of services for Jewish YBCS, Jewish mBC patients, and their caregivers. LINK consists of six culturally relevant breast cancer supportive services that provide: (1) patient navigation, (2) peer support, (3) genetic education, (4) survivorship resources, (5) specialized mBC interventions, and (6) caregiver programs. The OE component consists of cultural competency training and innovative education for health care providers (HCPs), patient navigators (PNs), and community health workers (CHWs) who serve the needs of the high risk Jewish community surrounding YBCS and mBC care. Under this contract, Shars
heret will implement targeted strategies to reduce disparities in health and quality of life due to Jewish ethnicity by: establishing a network of Jewish YBCS and their caregivers to facilitate policy, system, and environmental (PSE) change interventions; developing and implementing innovative technological educational opportunities for HCPs on topics relevant to the target populations’ care delivery; and utilizing its well-established PN and CHW program strategies to enhance access to and utilization of YBCS and mBC services and support. In the pursuit of these activities, Sharsheret is fully engaged with external partners at Georgetown University’s NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) and its Cancer Prevention and Control Program to conduct evaluation and performance measurement planning activities. Sharsheret will also partner and collaborate with a variety of organizations nationwide, including (but not limited to) CDC and CDC-funded organizations. Additionally, Sharsheret’s program implementation and sustainability plans will ensure continuity of the PSE change interventions, HCP educational opportunities, and utilization of PN and CHW programs. The proposed project stands to increase the availability of services and support to 100,000 Jewish YBCS and mBC patients and caregivers across the US. Project findings will be disseminated to facilitate replication and adaptation among other underserved YBCS and mBC special populations, and allied educational and change intervention programs, to control and prevent breast cancer.
