Lake Norman Community Health Clinic

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Breast Health Education to Hispanic/Latina Communities in Mecklenburg County

Recent studies show that Mecklenburg County has a high percentage of women with late-state breast cancer diagnoses. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women. Mecklenburg County is the most populated county in the state with a high proportion of foreign-born residents. To address this issue and provide more effective educational opportunities within this subset of the County population, Susan G. Komen Foundation is funding Lake Norman Community Health Clinic to manage this pilot project.

This project has three primary goals, to identify and recruit 15 bi-lingual women to conduct informational sessions with their friends and others in the community. Secondly, each women will be asked about whether they are insured and if they have a primary care physician. We will complete the circle of care by linking the Uninsured with a primary care physician at LNCHC and provide free mammogram and diagnostic screenings through our partnership with the Novant Breast Center.

Breast cancerscreeningmeans checking a woman’s breasts for cancer before she has any symptoms. A mammogramis an X-ray picture of the breast. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Unfortunately, many Hispanic/Latina women do not have insurance or access to a primary care physician. Therefore, we are now recruiting 15 bi-lingual women in Mecklenburg County to participate in this project. We also need a local student who is bi-lingual to assist the trainers and maintain program data. These volunteers will be trained to conduct several classes to others in their communities, explaining the importance of breast health education and the need for mammography screenings. Early detection of breast cancer, done through screenings, is the best way to cure the disease and prevent death.

LNCHC will offer gift cards and other incentives to our recruiters and participants . We will be selecting one Project Assistant and 15 bi-lingual trainers by June 30, 2015. Please contact Karen Price at (704) 316-6606 or at karen.price@lnchc.org for more information. If you are interested in applying to participate in this program, please complete the attached Application. You may email it to karen.price@lnchc.org or fax to (704)316-6612 to ATTN: Komen Project. Thank you for helping us to build a healthier and happier community!