Magee-Women’s Hospital Breast Cancer Program in conjunction with Hillman Cancer Center is nationally ranked and serves over 60% of the women and men diagnosed with breast cancer in Allegheny and surrounding counties. However, as we observed with the COVID vaccine many communities of color or economically disadvantage may be aware of the services available to them but are reluctant to utilize. This inherent distrust is based on actual documented cases of disparaging service delivery and experimental studies of these communities without their consent. This program makes a conscious effort educate and recruit participants from these communities by building trust. This trust is built by bridging the gap utilizing community leadership and gatekeepers to assist in the message delivery. The Navigator then continues to support and remain available to these women throughout the process from preventative screening to treatment as needed. Women are able to reach out to us for initial coverage, ongoing financial coverage, support for questions and concerns as they see fit by telephone or email. The program also addresses SDOH, childcare, transportation and mental health concerns. In conjunction with the Outreach Navigator team, we utilized a team of trained professionals from the UPMC Hospital and UPMC Health Insurance Plan to provide services throughout the continuum of care. The program has provided a free mammogram screening and then signed the participant up for insurance coverage for ongoing treatment if needed. The ability to do this enhanced participant compliance and willingness to obtain care.
The monitoring and tracking component is 3 tiered. Once a woman is in our EMR system we can follow and track them. We provide 2 phone calls and a letter to women who require annual or follow up mammograms. During these phone calls or on an as needed basis we assist with barriers, transportation and childcare.
“When we look to define what providing great health care means to our patients, it is that we will not only screen and diagnose but provide resources and navigation for the patients we serve. Doing one without the other is not completing our mission for serving the population health needs for our community. It is imperative that we consider how best to wrap all of our services into a package that helps guide the navigation of care for the people we serve.” — Beth Quinn, Sr. Director, Women’s Health Operations, Magee Womens Hospital Service Line
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