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Community Needs Assessment

Franciscan Cancer Center Community Needs Assessment 2012 – 2015

Beginning in 2012 all American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (ACOS CoC) cancer programs are required to complete a community needs assessment to identify:

  • Health disparities
  • Description of the navigation process
  • Populations served and barriers identified by the needs assessment
  • Documentation of activities and metrics (outcomes and outputs)
  • Areas for Quality Improvement, enhancement and future directions

The following is a brief synopsis of our findings for the local community. Further information or access to a full copy of the community needs assessment can be requested by contacting Tricia Sinek, 253-426-6746 or triciasinek@fhshealth.org.

General Findings:

  • The increasing diversity, aging and obesity in our community will lead to a considerable increase in cancer case loads here in the Pierce County area.
  • Pierce County has multiple barriers to timely diagnosis, treatment and optimal quality of life. Many barriers are shared by most population groups including:
    • Limited access to primary care and screening for many underserved groups.
    • High tobacco use, leading to increase cases of tobacco related cancers.
    • Lack of medical insurance and poverty (1 in 4 community members)
    • Health and language literacy limitations (up to 12% non-English speaking)
    • Transportation and immigration barriers to access and care.

Barriers to access, screening and cancer care in local Populations by group:

African American (AA)

  • 4/10 have no medical home or primary care provider
  • Less likely to be referred for follow-up
  • Highest prostate cancer incidence (1 in 3 men)
  • 30% higher breast cancer mortality in Pierce County vs. white women
  • 30%+ tobacco use in adults with lowest success in quitting
  • High rates of obesity and subsequent co-morbidities related to Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Historic distrust of the medical system

Asian Pacific Islander (API)

  • High rates of Hepatitis B infection with subsequent associated cancer risks
  • High rates of breast and cervical cancers in some population groups
  • Transportation, language and health literacy limitations
  • Over 20+ countries or origin and languages spoken in this county

Hispanic/Latino

  • Immigration status/deportation risks
  • Language and literacy barriers
  • 4/10 lack a medical home or primary care provider
  • High BMI’s and trending upward with subsequent co-morbidities
  • Emerging evidence of earlier age at diagnosis for breast cancer

Native American (NA)

  • Low life expectancy
  • May lack funding for healthcare interventions outside the Indian Health System
  • High obesity, tobacco use, co-addictions and co-morbidities
  • Historical distrust of the healthcare system

Sexual Minorities (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer [LGBTQ])

  • Higher tobacco use rates and other co-addictions
  • Fear of disclosure to healthcare providers
  • High risk populations for some cancers – breast cancer, HPV related infections and tobacco related disease

Franciscan Cancer Care Navigation

Our cancer program navigation models are developed and oriented to providing support for patients with the most barriers to care. For further details, view our cancer patient navigation material.

Franciscan Cancer Care Community Outreach Priorities

Our efforts around community outreach, education, risk reduction programming, tobacco cessation, community-based free cancer screenings and programs are built around the community profile identified in this community needs assessment.

Our 2012 and 2013 priorities are:

  • African American outreach and screening will be focused in Lakewood and Tacoma, with emphasis on mammography, prostate cancer screening, colon cancer screening education and recommendations and tobacco cessation.
  • Breast cancer screening with regularly scheduled mammogram events will occur monthly throughout the service area with focus on high-risk populations in each screening location.
    • St. Elizabeth Mammogram events will focus on Latina, low-income rural women and Native American women.
    • St. Anthony screening events will focus on rural low-income women, Latinas and Pacific Islander women.
    • St. Francis screenings will focus on API, African American, Latina and Eastern European immigrants.
    • Tacoma based screenings will focus on AA, LGBTQ, Latina, NA and API women