Cancer and the Latino Community: Lessons Learned

I had the privilege this week to serve as the keynote speaker for the 4th Summit sponsored by Latinas Contra Cancer-an organization founded and led by Ysabel Duron, a formidable cancer survivor and news media presence in San Francisco. Bringing together members of the Latino community, researchers, community health workers, promotores (more on that later) and advocates, the summit focused on the issues facing the Latino community in increasing awareness, access to care, improved treatment and research opportunities among other topics. But what was most impressive was the spirit, engagement and commitment that permeated the room for the two days of the meeting. I would like to share with you some of what I learned during the preparation for that lecture, as well as some observations that tie together the impact and calls to action that are relevant to the Latino community and many other ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the United States. (You may wish to refer to the American Cancer Society's "Cancer Facts and Figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2012-2014" which contains a wealth of information relative to cancer for this community.) When one takes a closer look at the Latino community, one finds there are a number of what we euphemistically call "social determinants" that make such a difference in understanding the community itself and the challenges that many face. A recent report from the Pew Charitable Trust Hispanic Trends Project highlights some of the changing demographics...
Source: Dr. Len's Cancer Blog - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Access to care Breast Cancer Cancer Care Cervical Cancer Colon Cancer Diet Early detection Environment Prevention Prostate Cancer Research Screening Tobacco Source Type: blogs