Grantee Spotlight
Southcentral Foundation
Anchorage, Alaska
Southcentral Foundation’s Breast and Cervical Health program
provides breast health screening for Alaska Native and American
Indian Women by promoting breast health knowledge, yearly clinical
breast exams and yearly screening mammograms. Our service area
covers 107,413 square miles, an area larger than all but ten
states. Most of our service area is not connected by roads and
transportation between villages and urban areas is done by boat or
plane. Although we have made increased use of mobile mammography
by working with the Breast Cancer Detection Center, we are limited
to 10 villages a year and are still are not able to provide local
mammography service for all the women in our service area. We
recognized early on that outreach to women in remote areas was one
of the most important components in getting women screened. We
have to make sure that women understand how important it is to
have recommended breast health screening exams. We have
collaborated with several partners to ensure this message is
consistent and culturally appropriate throughout our service
area. We have worked with the Community Health Aide Program
(CHAP) to develop culturally respectful breast health materials
for the village-based Community Health Aides and Community Health
Practitioners, the primary providers of health care in Alaska’s
rural villages. We continue to disseminate information to women
through training by the CHAP and through the educational materials
we have developed.
One
of the first items we developed was a “Risk of Breast Cancer”
poster that showed Alaska Native women as opposed to the generic
information that is available nationally. Our first joint
endeavor with CHAP was the video “The Story Basket: Weaving
Breast Health into Our Lives” which showed the three areas of
breast care—self breast exam, clinical breast exam and
mammogram—using Alaska Native women. With the success of the
video, CHAP produced the booklet “The Story Basket” and we
disseminated this, not only in Southcentral Foundation’s service
area, but throughout the state. This past fall, the Yu’pik
translation of this booklet was made available for our population.
Comments about the video and booklet:
Mary
Alice Trapp, the Founder and Director of Native WEB (Women
Enjoying the Benefit) shares breast health education with
Indigenous peoples in the US and Ghana. She wrote the following:
“The Story Basket DVD has been used in American Indian communities
throughout the US and in Kumasi, Ghana. Though women do have
different heritage all share a common thread--being a woman. As a
women, (mother, grandmother, and younger woman) we are, through
this DVD, given tools we can, individually, use. The importance
of screening is portrayed in a non-threatening and informative
way. Discussion following the viewing of the video/DVD focuses,
not on Alaskan women, but on the particular community of women
visited. As a result, the importance of the message becomes
universal. Discussion regarding ways each community can help the
"Alaskan women" reflect each communities needs/beliefs and
availability to services becomes educational, planning and
developing. I limit distribution of the book to just a few copies
per site and encourage sites to use it as an example of what one
wants to include in a comprehensive BH brochure”.
“I
love the fact that an Alaska Native culturally sensitive brochure
was developed for breast health. I just got home from a mammogram
check-up at the Barrow Wellness Center and came across your
brochure, Weaving Breast Health into Our Lives. Thank you
for sharing such important information showing our Native women
taking care of themselves and how important it is the get regular
check-ups. A job well done”
Arlene Glenn, Barrow (Alaska) community member.
Nathalie Miller from Dillingham, Alaska writes: “Thank You Very
Much. Our patients have really enjoyed your materials.”
Janine McDonough, a Breast Health educator in Nevada who works
with local tribes and those in outlying areas of her state,
shared. I came across this WONDERFUL breast health publication
and want to include it for my American Indian presentations”.
Jennifer Schack, a Master's student working with Aboriginal
communities in the Calgary area (Canada) is sharing the movie in
her work with cancer survivors.
“The
ladies love the new brochures! As do I. They want to take copies
to their villages for other family members so my supply is
dwindling fast.” JoAnn (Jody) Clafferty, Nome, Alaska Mammographer
“We used the Video "The Story Basket" at the breast and cervical
screening event in Browning, Mt last week. We had a great
screening event there last week. We are showing the video as
on-going education for women as they wait to get their
Mammograms.” Charlotte Kelley, American Indian Screening
Coordinator, Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program, Helena,
Mt.
Heather Buesseler, the Program Coordinator for a breast cancer education project for
Somali women in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area wrote,” I was very
interested to read about your video and booklet in the Kaiser
Network newsletter. We are continually looking for ideas to
develop culturally appropriate educational materials. Your
materials will help to inform our strategies”.
“The
Native CIRCLE (Cancer Information Resource Center and Learning
Exchange), located at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, has
distributed more than 650 copies and accompanying booklet of “The
Story Basket: Weaving Breast Health Into Our Lives”, throughout
the United States and Canada. This breast health movie has been
shown in tribal clinics (both on the reservation and in urban
settings), at pow-wows and during health fairs. It has also been
given individually to Native American women and their families.
The
movie has been well-received in all communities in the Lower 48,
but especially in Ontario, Canada and the Yukon Territories, where
high-quality, Native-specific movies and print materials are
difficult to find.” Lisa Baethke, Resource Coordinator Native
CIRCLE.
For copies of The Story Basket: Weaving Breast Health into Our
Lives booklet and DVD or VHS movie please contact Lisa Baethke at:
Native CIRCLE
Charlton 6
200 First Street, SW
Rochester, MN 55905
email: nativecircle@mayo.edu
toll-free: 877-372-1617
local: 507-266-0960
FAX: 507-266-2478
www.mayoclinic.org/nativeprograms
