Saturday, November 23, 2024
11/23/2024
Young And A Survivor! (YAAS!) is a robust network of survivors, co-survivors, patient advocates, clinicians, supportive services providers, researchers, and local and national patient advocacy organizations engaging collaboratively to reduce disparities in survival and quality of life due to race, ethnicity, and other social determinants of health among young breast cancer survivors (YBCS), metastatic breast cancer survivors (MBCS) and their families and caregivers or “co-survivors” (CoS) in Chicago. Although clinical and supportive services may be available to address the challenges faced by young and metastatic cancer survivors, the U.S. system of service delivery is fragmented, placing an additional burden on survivors and co-survivors, particularly survivors in underserved communities whose resources are already limited. These circumstances are further complicated by the fact that the needs of young survivors are not yet well understood and services are not targeted to meet their needs. Young breast cancer survivors who are racial or ethnic minorities, who have a disability, or who are low-income are diagnosed at later stages and have higher mortality rates compared to the general population of young survivors. These disparities point to barriers in access to high quality cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment – barriers which persist into survivorship. Removing barriers to access and creating an environment of health equity in a fragmented healthcare system requires strong partnerships across the cancer care continuum, people and organizations willing to work together to leverage existing resources in order to strengthen the safety net and increase capacity for comprehensive survivorship care for all YBCS/MBCS/CoS. The wide-ranging and complementary expertise, experience, and knowledge represented in the YAAS! network makes us well-positioned to create a sustainable infrastructure in Chicago that: 1) promotes equitable engagement of all stakeholders in the identification, design, and implementation of socially responsive, sustainable policy, system, and environmental change; 2) expands clinical and community capacity for care that is tailored to the needs of YBCS/MBCS/CoS in underserved communities through innovative telehealth training for healthcare and supportive services providers and peer networking for survivors; 3) coordinates and streamline resources to ensure sustainability; and 4) serves as a model for other communities working to improve health outcomes and quality of life for YBCS.
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).
