Session C
CONFERENCE DAY 1 - THURSDAY, JUNE 5TH 2008 (15:15-16:15)
Concurrent Podium Presentations (Choice of 9):
1C How we packed our Tool Box (30633)
Ms. Susan Kapilik & Ms José Randell - CancerCare Centre of Hope (Canada)
In this workshop, volunteers will share how they have stay informed about available resources and support. How they have linked with health care professionals and community members to make them recognized as someone who is knowledgeable, trustworthy and willing to help. They will share their successes and challenges of providing this service in their unique community; how they have developed their own skills, found partners, built their reputation and stayed motivated to do the work.
Participants will have an opportunity to share information about their own communities, and the needs and possible ways they can help women in their communities to address their needs. A goal of the workshop is to empower participants to take on the challenge and get started.
2C Natives for Knockers: Evolution of Aboriginal Breast Health (30661)
Ms. Cindy L. Mutch et al.- De Dwa Da Dehs Nye's Aboriginal Health Centre (Canada)
This session will provide an overview of an innovative project designed to provide breast health education and promote routine breast screening among Aboriginal women. A panel of presenters will discuss the evolution of the project as an effective model for cross-cultural, breast-health knowledge transfer, and collaboration between mainstream and Aboriginal health service providers.
Project outcomes, best practices and lessons learned will be highlighted, as well as capacity building strategies and culturally appropriate resource materials developed through this project.
Ultimately, the goal of the project is to reduce breast cancer mortality among Aboriginal women through increased breast health education and mammography screening.
3C Breast Cancer Prevention
Dr. Andrew Cook - Cancercare Manitoba (Canada)
Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in the developed world and second to lung cancer in cancer related deaths in women. Several lifestyle factors are known to contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer, and some are modifiable. A small percentage of breast cancer incidence is clearly related to inherited genetic factors, but less obvious and presently unknown genetic factors may play a contributing role in a larger percentage of cases. Chemo-prevention studies using anti-estrogen based strategies targeting women known to be at high risk based on family history and Gail score have been able to reduce ER+ breast cancer incidence by 50% during the course of treatment and for at least several years afterwards. Because chemo-prevention involves giving medication to otherwise healthy women, the toxicity profile of any agent is important, and has resulted in low uptake of this strategy in community practice. Further study using agents that are effective in preventing breast cancer with minimal risk of toxicity is needed. This talk will review some of the lifestyle factors contributing to risk, and the results of chemo-prevention studies to date as well as ongoing chemo-prevention studies.
4C Bridges to Better Breast Health Project (30837)
Ms. Carole Mayer et al. - Sudbury Regional Hospital (Canada)
Bridges to Better Breast Health is a community project that has successful developed and disseminated information that addresses all parts of the breast cancer trajectory. This session will focus on the outcomes of the project - how the partnership was originally created to obtain a grant, and how the membership of the Steering Committee has worked together over two years.
Participants at this presentation will learn about new resources available on breast health and breast cancer, strategies to sustain partnerships within community projects, and strategies to disseminate information for hard to reach populations.
5C The Beast of Beauty (29619)
Ms. Carol Secter & Ms. Chris Kupka - Breast Cancer Action Montreal (Canada)
In Spring 2006, Breast Cancer Action Montreal launched a Safe Cosmetics Campaign Canada to raise awareness of toxic chemicals in cosmetics. Many cosmetics -- from shampoos and lotions to nail polish and hair dyes -- contain ingredients that are known or possible human carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins and/or endocrine disruptors. There is increasing concern about the low-dose, long-term effects of exposure to such toxic chemicals. This workshop will explore the federal laws that regulate cosmetics in Canada, discuss the issue of toxic chemicals in cosmetics as they relate to breast cancer, and outline ways in which participants can engage on the issues at both the personal and structural level. Participants will be provided with tips about ingredients and cosmetic products to avoid and with additional resources to help navigate cosmetics shelves and ingredient labels. The workshop will stress the need to advocate for better policy on toxic chemicals in cosmetics.
6C Empowering Kenyan Communities (31303)
Ms. Mary Onyango - Kenya Breast Health Program (Kenya)In a country where more than 50% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and there is no public health insurance scheme, late diagnosis of breast cancer is more or less synonymous with a death sentence. Lack of information among ordinary Kenyans and healthcare workers has been identified as one of the major factors that prevent the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. A baseline survey conducted earlier by KBHP revealed a disparity in access to breast cancer information among Kenyans most of whom were thirsty for this.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation provided a grant to enable KBHP conduct a pilot project to hold awareness forums for Kenyans in the rural areas, to break down the stigma associated with the disease, and to equip community based health workers with skills on cancer prevention, detection and treatment with a prime focus on breast cancer. As a result of the project, KBHP has produced a Community Breast Health Guide - the first locally produced booklet on breast health in Kenya.
7C In the Eye of the Storm (29384)
Dr. Judith Gabor - Gabor Strategy Group (Canada)
The focus of the workshop is to provide resiliency tools and to identify where work needs to be done in order to support and further develop and maintain volunteers and staff who are engaged in caring for cancer patients in hospital and hospice settings.
It also offers a look at how leadership and staff values impact on workplaces and how to bridge the differences of the cultural mosaic that forms the health care volunteer and professional work force in North America. This is an interactive workshop that offers ideas and concrete tools and strategies to participants.
8C-1 Perceptions of Breast Health Practices among Ethno-Cultural Women (30791)
Prof. Lucia Yiu & Dr. Uzo Anucha - University of Windsor (Canada)
This session will look at a study, funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The study explored the breast health practices of ethno-cultural women in Windsor and Essex County. A total of 80 women, with 20 from each of the East Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African communities were recruited to participate in this qualitative study. While most participants articulated that healthy lifestyles and early detection are key to breast cancer prevention, only about 50% of the participants followed breast cancer screening guidelines themselves. Participants felt challenged by their inadequate language skills and the lack of female doctors to attend to their care.
A conclusion of the study stated that health promoters must overcome language and cultural barriers, and reach out to the ethno-cultural women by creating a community dialogue to normalize and socialize breast health practice as part of women's health. Health Professionals were also challenged to help ethno-cultural women to translate their knowledge into action in breast cancer prevention.
AND 8C-2 Promoting Access to Breast Health for Ethno Cultural Women in an Underserved Health Area (30297)
Ms. Melissa Kimber, Dr. Uzo Anucha, & Prof. Lucia Yiu - York University (Canada)
While efforts are being made to promote breast health practices among Canadian women, studies have shown that breast cancer among ethno-cultural women is often diagnosed at later stages. Funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation; this study explores breast health practices and barriers to breast health services for ethno-cultural women in Essex county, Ontario, Canada.
The study found that to increase participation in early detection and screening of breast cancer, health care providers must understand the cultural beliefs and current breast health practices of ethno-cultural women, in order to provide culturally appropriate, competent and responsive care. While the findings are grounded in one particular community's realities and unique location, the lessons learned are applicable and can be transferred to other Canadian and Global communities experiencing increasing diversity.
9C Multicultural Breast Health - Peer Educators (30649)
Ms. Christine Land - ASSIST Community Services Centre (Canada)
An interactive workshop to share information on an innovative approach to breast health education for marginalized communities. The significance of the project is that it serves hard-to-reach women from ethnic communities in their own languages, by peer educators from their own community. It includes Chinese, South Asian, Arabic, Vietnamese and Korean communities.
The presenters will be the Project Coordinator and Peer Educators. They will describe the project, how they deliver the program in their communities, and open the floor to questions and comments.