Organizations that provide reports and statistics on the health of our communities

• City of Hope community benefit
• ACS cancer facts & figures 2022
• LA County Department of Public Health

Addressing the Burden of Cancer In Our Community

Build capacity for community driven cancer prevention and control  
An important priority for COE is to address Catchment Area cancer burden by preparing and activating community advocates to participate in research as community-based/citizen scientists. Therefore, COE team trains community partners in research, mining data, conducting literature reviews, conducting needs assessments, developing research abstracts and posters, and implementing evidence-based programs.  
 
Efforts to reduce cancer in the community  
The COE team implements free community cancer screenings to reduce the burden of cancer including NCI’s Screen to Save for colorectal cancer. The Community-based Prostate Cancer Screening Program works with COE to leverage community partnerships to provide free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests. Since 2017, the program has provided PSA blood tests to over 1,000 men to detect disease at an early and curable stage. Between 2017 and 2019, the COE team provided 1218 mammograms focused primarily on LA County, many completed through mobile mammogram units in partnership with health and faith-based organizations and community centers. We are improving clinical care system level strategies supporting cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination.  
 
Activities to address cancer health disparities  
COE addresses cancer health disparities by targeting hard-to reach populations, traditionally excluded racial/ethnic groups, and medically underserved communities. Shades of Cancer Survivorship is a community partnership with Charles Drew University, Witness to Fitness, and COH-COE. We trained 48 navigators to serve Black and Latino communities to address cancer disparities by increasing access to care and survivorship resources targeting survivors and caregivers. COE team is also working to increase the HPV vaccination rate in Latino and Sexual and Gender minorities. The “Protegete y Vacunate!” program implements the Promotora Model.

Research In Action

Enhancing City of Hope’s capacity to address the needs of our community  

• City of Hope Clinical Trials
• Breast Cancer and the Environment
  For a study of the effects of environmental chemical exposures on breast cancer, COE helped identify and co-lead the multi-ethnic Community Leadership Council (CLC) who informed study resources and dissemination. COE provided community research capacity building on scientific methods and community education on Breast cancer and the environment.
• Eat, Move, Live!
  What began as a COE led community health education program implemented at the local school district has evolved into an enterprise-wide project delivering a community diet, nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease management program reaching over 560 participants in a train-the-trainer model resulting in 60% lowered A1c and weight. Additionally, a pilot study targeting low-income breast cancer patients is examining the impact of EML on survivorship outcomes and biomarkers.
• Cancer and Aging
  COE continues to expand research initiatives to reduce age-related health disparities showing that Geriatric Assessment (GA)-driven interventions vs. standard of care can lead to a decrease in chemotherapy toxicity.

 Influencing Health Policy   

• Cancer Patients Bill of Rights
• California’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan
• End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium
• Clinical Cancer Genomics