Mission: The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition Disparities Center is the organization’s focal point for efforts aimed at eliminating the unequal burden of cancer faced by underserved populations throughout Southwest Georgia. The Center has five core functions:

• Culturally appropriate outreach and education, involving community-based, healthcare, and academic partners with complimentary expertise and shared resources committed to reducing cancer deaths among underserved audiences
• Delivery of evidence-based interventions to underserved populations to reduce cancer risks and improve patient outcomes
• Serve as a “laboratory” for disparities research in cooperation with academic partners
• Serve as an informational resource on disparity issues for program planners, health professionals, policy makers, and others
• Establish and sustain a regional hub for the recruitment and training of junior researchers committed to advancing knowledge of the causes of cancer disparities

The Disparities Center seeks to address the unequal burden of cancer suffered by medically underserved and/or
socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in Southwest Georgia’s 33-county region.

Specifically, the Center will:

• Develop, implement, and evaluate effective, evidence-based interventions to eliminate disparities across the cancer continuum from prevention to end-of-life care.
• Develop strategic partnerships with and among local, state, and federal organizations to maximize sustainability of effective cancer control efforts.
• Advance understanding of the causes of cancer disparities by establishing a multidisciplinary research program in partnership with academic institutions.
• Leverage relationships with academic institutions to provide training and professional development opportunities for junior minority researchers.

• Influence public policy through education, advocacy and outreach to policy makers.
• Identify capacity and funding solutions so that all residents have access to care regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
• Realize economic benefit by eliminating cancer disparities throughout the region.
  
  
  
  
  
  Disparities – or inequalities – occur when members of certain populations do not enjoy the same health status as other groups.  Cancer disparities exists when one group of people has a higher incidence or mortality rate than another, or when survival rates are lower in one group than the general population.
  
  Disparities are most often identified along racial and ethnic lines, with ethnic minorities suffering most from cancer and other common chronic diseases.  However, disparities extend beyond race and ethnicity and also can involve:
• Environmental factors – such as populations that live in communities where exposure to pollutants pose greater cancer risks, and residents of rural communities that have limited access to healthcare
• Behavioral factors – e.g., populations with higher than average smoking rates or high fat diets and limited physical activity
• Differences based on income and education – less educated/lower income individuals often have lower access to quality healthcare and information that could help them reduce cancer risks or gain access to cancer screening services.

Nationally, cancer disparities are most often determined and measured by three health statistics: incidence (the number of new cancers); mortality (the number of cancer deaths); and survival rates (length of survival following diagnosis of cancer).  Other cancer-related disparity measurements include:

• Screening rates
• Risk behaviors
• Access to quality health care
• Clinical trials access and participation
• Health insurance
• Education and literacy rates

The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition Disparities Center will examine gaps in quality of and access to care among populations suffering from health disparities in Southwest Georgia.  Programs will be developed and implemented that eliminate barriers to care and improve access to culturally-appropriate information among:

• Racial and ethnic minorities, specifically African Americans and Mexican Americans
• Low income groups
• The elderly
• Residents of rural areas
• Individuals with special health care needs (such as the disabled)

There is no single answer, and the effects of the intersection of multiple factors on a particular group are complex and not well understood. However, research has identified a number of reasons why some communities suffer a disproportionate burden of cancer. Among them:

Lack of insurance – More than 160,000 people in Southwest Georgia are uninsured or underinsured. Lack of insurance and ability to pay for care prevent access to health care, including age appropriate and risk-based screening and early detection services.

Conditions of poverty – It is estimated that 22% of Southwest Georgia’s 700,000 population live at or below the federal poverty level, nearly double the state average of 13%. Food, housing, and other day-to-day living expenses compete with health care costs in families surviving on a fixed income. More often, those living in poverty also have lower educational attainment and literacy rates than more affluent members of the community, resulting in a lack of knowledge about where or how to get needed healthcare.

Bias and discrimination – A number of research studies have concluded that the quality of care the poor and uninsured receive in the U.S. is often substandard. Also, cultural biases may cause some populations to avoid medical treatment in favor of alternative therapies, or regard cancer fatalistically. A lack of trust in the health care system often impedes utilization of health services by members of minority communities.

Research Dissemination Barriers – According to a 2001 President’s Cancer Panel Report, there is a disconnect between advances in research and health care delivery systems that serve the poor, with low-income individuals being less likely to have access to the latest in cancer care. 

“Some patients, even those with insurance, find that uncovered financial costs for items such as transportation, child care and medical supplies can rapidly drain family resources, causing some patients to sell assets including the family home, farm, or other business, or to go without care.”

Voices of a Broken System:  Real People, Real Problems – President’s Cancer Panel, Report of the Chairman, 2000-2001, National Institutes of Health, National