UA women’s center to fund cervical cancer program for Latinas

National woman's center is awarded large grant from CDC

The University of Arizona National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health at University Physicians Hospital was recently awarded a $2.1 million, five-year Race and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH US) grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).

The grant was one of 40 new grants the CDC gave this year. The highly competitive award is a national acknowledgment of the work done by the center and its partners in Pima County. The goal of the grant program is to reduce health disparities nationwide.

At the center, the grant would be used to coordinate a countywide effort to target  cervical cancer disparities affecting the health of Mexican-American women living near the U.S.-Mexico border and will provide prevention training. This community-based partnership is a collaboration of the university, community residents, school districts and other community organizations.

The partnership will develop prevention programs to be implemented over the next four years, including a bilingual parent-to-parent peer educational program to inform decision-making regarding HPV vaccination for middle school aged girls, a navigation program to facilitate the follow-up of abnormal screenings and technical assistance to incorporate new screening technologies and vaccination.