Patient Voices Network: Bringing Breast Cancer Awareness and Action into Underserved Communities

Background/Purpose: African American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at later stages and have higher mortality rates than white women. The Patient Voices Network (PVN), a community group whose vision is “a community of educated and involved patients working hand in hand with physicians in making decisions about their own health care,” conceived of and implemented a walk to raise awareness of breast cancer and link women to screening resources in a low-income, urban community Objectives: To describe the planning and implementation of the Concerned About You: Breast Cancer Awareness Walk & Wellness Event and its impact on an academic community partnership. Methods: A narrative approach was used. Meeting minutes and event planning notes were reviewed. Community participation rates and participant satisfaction were tracked using registration records and a survey administered at the event. Results: 328 community members registered and 194 attended. Responses to a satisfaction survey indicated community buy-in and interest in future events. Two women were screened at the event and 78 were screened at a follow-up opportunity at their primary care practices. The process was driven by participatory guidelines and laid the foundation for future activities. Conclusions: Community input addressed the need for screening mammography in an underserved community. The partnership approach featured complementary strengths of both patients and University staff, fostered skill building and co-learning, and ultimately strengthened our partnership. A partnered approach may be effective in engaging hard-to-reach populations to address health disparities.