HRSA-Funded Health Centers Announce New Partnership
On Sept. 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced via a press release that it is awarding over $5 million to 11 HRSA-funded community health centers. The money will go toward enabling underserved populations to gain access to life-saving cancer screenings and early detection services. The awards are dubbed “Accelerating Cancer Screening” awards.
The press release states that “These first-of-their-kind partnerships are bringing health centers together with National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers. Today’s announcement advances President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goals, which aim to close the cancer screening gap, decrease the impact of preventable cancers, and support patients and caregivers.”
That said, “Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, with nearly 600,000 deaths annually. Significant disparities continue to exist in screening and follow-up care after an abnormal cancer screening test result, based on an individual’s income, insurance status, and race or ethnicity. These cancers can be prevented or detected early through appropriate screening and timely follow-up care.”
The awards, according to the release, focus on increasing equitable access to cancer screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. The health centers will perform patient outreach in underserved communities through screening services and hands-on assistance with accessing high-quality cancer care and treatment, if needed.
“The health centers receiving Accelerating Cancer Screening awards must work with NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, which will deploy their outreach specialists and patient navigators in the health center’s service area,” the release adds. “Example activities may include care coordination; patient engagement and activation; enhancing virtual care capabilities; tracking patient screening, referrals, and follow-up; enhancing health IT workflows; and workforce engagement, training, and recruitment. NCI-Designated Cancer Centers are characterized by scientific excellence and the capability to integrate a diversity of research approaches to focus on the problem of cancer.”
The Fiscal Year 2022 Accelerating Cancer Screening award recipients include:
- Escondido, Calif.-based Neighborhood Healthcare
- Los Angeles-based Chinatown Service Center
- San Diego-based Family Health Centers Of San Diego, Inc.
- Yuba City, Calif.-based Ampla Health
- Saint Petersburg, Fla.-based Community Health Centers Of Pinellas, Inc.
- Pittsburg, Kan.-based Community Health Center Of Southeast Kansas, Inc.
- Stigler, Okla.-based Stigler Health & Wellness Center, Inc.
- Nashville, Tenn.-based Matthew Walker Health Center
- Harlingen, Texas-based Su Clinica Familiar
- Arlington, Va.-based Blue Ridge Medical Center, Inc.
- New Canton, Va.-based Central Virginia Health Services, Inc.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was quoted in the release saying that “Tools to fight and prevent cancer should be in reach for everyone, but, too often, that’s not the case. With so many people having missed preventive care visits and cancer screenings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we must expand access to life-saving care. Today’s action takes us a step closer to that goal. With this move, health centers can work to close disparity gaps, delivering critical services to underserved communities in need.”
