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After missing 29 mammogram appointments, one BWH patient is now getting screened regularly, thanks to the REACH2010 program. She is one of hundreds of women across Boston who overcame personal obstacles with housing, insurance, unemployment and other issues that prevented them from taking care of their own health.
“As a result of REACH, more women are learning to advocate for services and have conversations with doctors about their health,” said Angela Hall-Jones, a women’s health case manager in Brigham Internal Medicine Associates (BIMA), who personally performed more than 1,000 visits through the program.
REACH, or Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, is a nation-wide effort of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to eliminate health disparities through community-based participatory approaches. The Boston REACH2010 Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition, directed by Nashira Baril, convened in 2000 by the Boston Public Health Commission. The REACH program was designed to respond to the high mortality of black women in Boston, who are more likely to die after being diagnosed with breast cancer than women of other races. This is true, despite the fact that black women over 40 are more likely to have a mammography screening than other groups.
Hall-Jones and other case managers were available at BWH, Brookside Community Health Center, Dimock Community Health Center, Martha Eliot, Upham’s Corner and Whittier Street Health Center to connect with women.
“The main focus of REACH was investing in the community,” said BWH’s Cheryl Clark, MD, SD, principal investigator of the REACH2010 evaluation team. “There were social capital building exercises to help women develop advocacy and leadership skills. REACH also provided education and resources to help women overcome social obstacles and connect them to each other for support.”
Hall-Jones was one resource for these patients. She started her quest in the waiting rooms in BIMA, contacting patients who had missed appointments for mammograms and pap smears to ensure they didn’t let their health fall by the wayside.
Lay health educators and REACH women’s health ambassadors worked to reach women in Boston’s 17 neighborhoods through salons, supermarkets, schools and libraries. They distributed information about cancer prevention, including clinical screenings and self-breast exams.
The program encouraged women to advocate for their health and try to conquer the financial, social and personal barriers in the way. They learned that help often is just a phone call away.
“One thing I try to stress is to learn to pick up the phone,” said Hall-Jones, who helped patients secure insurance, pay utility bills and access various services. “Women are learning to make calls to social service agencies.”
The REACH2010 program concluded in September with a gala featuring JudyAnn Bigby, MD, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Services and former medical director at BWH, who oversaw the installment of the program.
Even though REACH2010 is over, the REACH Pink and Black Campaign continues. The award-winning campaign was launched by the Boston Public Health Commission in 2005 to raise awareness of the disparities in breast cancer survival faced by black women in Boston. Last month, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and BPHC unveiled a new Pink & Black poster, highlighting 11 black women who are breast cancer survivors. It’s featured on MBTA buses and bus shelters throughout Boston and the Longwood Medical Area.