Community Outreach and Engagement

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The overarching goal of the MECCC Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) is to promote cancer-related health outcomes in our Bronx catchment area (CA). More than 85% of patients who come to MECCC for cancer care reside in this CA. The Bronx is a community of nearly 1.5 million residents, and Bronx residents are 35% foreign-born and 26% report difficulty with English. The Bronx is designated as a persistent poverty county with over 24% of residents living at or below the poverty level. Cancer incidence in the Bronx is strongly associated with neighborhood poverty. Our specific aims are to: 1) Define, assess, and monitor cancer burden in the Bronx CA; 2) Develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of strategies to address the cancer burden; 3) Foster and facilitate catchment area-relevant research within all MECCC Research Programs; 4) Enhance enrollment of patients in clinical trials; and 5) Share lessons learned through dissemination to advance cancer care. The MECCC COE is led by Bruce Rapkin, PhD, Associate Director for COE. MECCC’s COE efforts are built upon exceptionally strong relationships with community and health system partners. COE activities span the cancer continuum, from prevention and early detection to treatment to survivorship and supportive care. The COE team consists of project coordinators, data managers, and community outreach specialists, along with cancer patient advocates and pre-med interns. COE partners with community, clinic and public health sectors to leverage established programs and relationships. COE strategies are conceived and guided by a Community Advisory Board (CAB), COE liaisons from MECCC Research Programs, and MECCC Senior Leadership to ensure alignment of action, research, policy and practice. Our Learning Health Care Community logic model fosters on-going data-driven decision-making and problem-solving among these multiple stakeholders. Ongoing needs assessments provide direction and iterative feedback on metrics of success. Disseminating MECCC research outcomes is intrinsic to the process. By addressing cancer care through community partnerships, we have been able to arrive at solutions that are making a real difference in our CA. COE seeks to continue to expand and innovate as we work to reduce cancer incidence in the Bronx.