Addressing Cancer Disparities through Community Health Advisers

A former faculty partner with the Center, Marcie Fisher-Borne, was awarded a grant from the American Cancer Society to examine the impact of community health advisers on reducing cancer disparities. Interviews and focus groups with community health adviser field staff and coordinators are being conducted in eight southern states. The participants were asked about their perceptions of the program’s achievements and implementation facilitators and barriers.

The Cancer Disparities Reduction Collaborative is the American Cancer Society’s adaptation of the Deep South Network model developed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Deep South Network model is an evidence-based intervention that has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the disparities in breast cancer incidence and mortality in African American women across the Black Belt states in the South. This community-based cancer screening initiative uses an ecological model of health, emphasizing linkages among multiple determinants of health, including race/ethnicity, education, income/socio-economic status, and geographic location.