An innovative partnership to address breast cancer screening among vulnerable populations.
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy among U.S. women. Vulnerable populations such as low-income women, racial/ethnic minorities, and the uninsured have lower rates of screening mammography use and bear a disproportionate burden of disease.


OBJECTIVE
The Breast Cancer Education Project (BCEP) was created to address the needs of medically underserved women in Cook County through high-quality breast cancer screening, education and support. The BCEP also provides a service-learning opportunity in which medical students can provide a valuable health service while obtaining important skills that enable them to work more effectively within medically underserved communities.


CONCLUSIONS
The BCEP is an innovative collaboration between academic medical centers, safety-net health systems, community-based organizations and public health organizations. It represents a model for addressing issues of disparate access to breast cancer screening within vulnerable communities that contribute to higher breast cancer mortality.
The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. mpeek@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Monica E
ME
Peek
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D009111:Local Government; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014837:Voluntary Health Agencies; D035862:Vulnerable Populations