At Holy Cross Hospital, we’re proud of our long history of serving the community – it’s part of our mission. Each year, we identify significant community health care needs that are not adequately met due to financial, geographic, racial or cultural barriers. We develop innovative programs to address these issues in our community, to benefit all.
Community Education and Screening
This year – as we have for many years before – we’re providing cancer services to low-income women and men, who lack access to cancer screening and cancer care. Those who need our help may be medically underserved, uninsured or underinsured and are often from diverse communities.
For example, through our partnership with the Komen Community Assisted Mammography Program, Holy Cross Hospital focuses on reducing disparities in breast health care among underserved communities by providing high-quality, culturally competent outreach, education, screenings, navigation and case management services. Since its inception in 2004, the program has provided more than 4,400 community members with free breast screenings, and provided more than 155,000 educational encounters to underserved community members on importance of breast health and the early detection of breast cancer.
Meeting Diverse Needs
As a result of our community work and partnerships, the cancer education and cancer services we offer are tailored to the unique needs of our local community including African American, Hispanic and Asian American women and men. Our custom approach means we are much more likely to be effective – persuading on the importance of cancer screening and care – no matter what language they speak or cultural background.
To engage diverse community audiences, Holy Cross Hospital has an active Ethnic Health Promotion Program. Our team includes foreign trained health professionals, public health experts and those who are respected members of their communities. They speak the language and understand the culture of our local Latin American, Russian, and African American communities. They establish trust, raise awareness and provide support during screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. In FY 12, our program provided health education and awareness to more than 10,000 community members.