American Indian Cancer Foundation

SUPPORT CANCER CONTROL EFFORTS IN IHS NASHVILLE REGION FOR TRIBAL/URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES - THE AMERICAN INDIAN CANCER FOUNDATION (AICAF) SEEKS FUNDING TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING SCREEN OUR CIRCLE (NATIONAL BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER EARLY DETECTION PROGRAM) AND INDIGENOUS CANCER SOLUTIONS (COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CONTROL PROGRAM) WITH EFFORTS FOCUSED ON THE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICES (IHS) NASHVILLE REGION. CANCER CONTINUES TO BE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES (AI/AN). AI/ANS IN THE UNITED STATES EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE WORST CANCER OUTCOMES WORLDWIDE. THIS REALITY IS STAGGERING; CONSIDERING CANCER AMONG AI/ANS WAS RARE PRIOR TO THE LAST TWO DECADES. AS CANCER MORTALITY RATES AMONG MOST RACES HAVE BEEN DECREASING DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, AI/ANS ARE NOT EXPERIENCING DECREASED RATES (CDC, 2010). THE NASHVILLE IHS REGION IS HOME TO 36 TRIBAL NATIONS AND SERVICES 32 TRIBAL PROGRAMS AND FOUR URBAN INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAMS (UIHP) LOCATED IN DALLAS, BALTIMORE, BOSTON, AND LONG ISLAND CITY PROVIDING CARE TO 122,000 ACTIVE PATIENTS. HOWEVER, MUCH OF THE DATA FOR THE IHS NASHVILLE AREA IS SUPPRESSED, SUGGESTING LARGER POPULATIONS AND A GREATER NEED FOR CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAMS. AICAF IS REQUESTING SUPPORT TO CONTINUE THE SCREEN OUR CIRCLE (SOC) PROGRAM AND THE INDIGENOUS CANCER SOLUTIONS (ICS) PROGRAM (FORMERLY KNOWN AS URBAN CANCER SOLUTIONS). WHILE OUR EXISTING DP17-1701 PROGRAMS ARE NATIONAL AND FOCUSED ON UIHPS, THIS FUNDING WILL SUPPORT A SPECIFIC REGION WITH HISTORICALLY UNMET NEEDS. THE URBAN INTER-TRIBAL CENTER OF TEXAS, A CURRENT DP17-1701 PARTNER, IS COMMITTED TO THIS NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED TWO OTHER CLINICS IN THIS REGION READY TO PARTNER. THE SOC PROGRAM WILL LEVERAGE DATA AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS, BUILD STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, ELEVATE SCREENING OPPORTUNITIES AND IMPLEMENT EBIS, IN ADDITION TO EVALUATING AND MONITORING ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE CANCER DISPARITIES. AICAF STAFF NOT ONLY COME WITH EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE IN IMPLEMENTING DP17-1701, OUR STAFF ALSO COME FROM AN INDIGENOUS LENS TO ASSIST IN THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH EQUITY AND AN OVERALL INCREASE IN PREVENTATIVE CANCER SCREENINGS. IN YEAR 1, WE WILL PARTNER WITH TWO CLINICS FOR REIMBURSABLE SERVICES, INCLUDING BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS AND PATIENT NAVIGATION, REACHING OVER 300 WOMEN WITH AN OVERALL GOAL TO PARTNER WITH 5 CLINICS BY YEAR 2. OUTCOMES INCLUDE INCREASED PARTNERSHIPS, EXPANDED DATA SOVEREIGNTY OF CLINICS AND COMMUNITIES, AND SUSTAINING EBIS. THE ICS PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING SHARED VISIONS AND PLANS BASED ON DISEASE BURDEN AND SURVEILLANCE DATA, ADJUSTING ITS NATIONAL COALITION TO ALIGN WITH THE NASHVILLE IHS REGION AND REACHING ACHIEVABLE OBJECTIVES THROUGH AN UPDATED CANCER PLAN. THE ICS PROGRAM WILL IMPLEMENT THE FULL SUITE OF STRATEGIES WHILE TAILORING THE ACTIVITIES TO BE CULTURALLY-GROUNDED. THE PROGRAM WILL PARTNER WITH TWO CLINICS IN YEAR 1 AND EXPAND TO TWO MORE IN YEAR 2, FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR CLINIC PARTNERS CONTRACTED TO IMPLEMENT EBIS IN YEARS 2-5. THE PROPOSED OUTCOMES ARE SHARED IN THE ATTACHED APPLICATION, BUT THE LONG TERM OUTCOMES REMAIN IN ALIGNMENT WITH MANY OF AICAF’S CORE GOALS; REDUCE AI/AN CANCER RISK THROUGH PRIMARY PREVENTION; DECREASE AI/AN CANCER BURDEN BY INCREASING SCREENING RATES; INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG AI/AN CANCER SURVIVORS BY EXPANDING SUPPORT SERVICES; AND ULTIMATELY ELIMINATE THE CANCER BURDENS. AS A NATIVE-LED ORGANIZATION, WE STRIVE TO BE A TRUSTED PARTNER BY TRIBAL AND URBAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS, LEADERS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, AND OTHERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. WE OFFER A WEALTH OF EXPERTISE THAT WEAVES TOGETHER THE MOST ROBUST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE WITH TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS WISDOM TO IMPROVE CANCER SCREENING RATES AND SUPPORT HEALTH SYSTEMS CHANGE FOR OUR AI/AN POPULATION. OUR HIGHLY TRAINED, DEDICATED, AND EXPERIENCED TEAM IS READY TO PARTNER TO INCREASE CANCER SCREENING RATES AND ELIMINATE T

THE URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN SOLUTIONS FOR BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER PROGRAM; URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN SOLUTIONS FOR COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CONTROL

SUPPORT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, NUTRITION, AND COMMERCIAL TOBACCO CONTROL EFFORTS IN AND AROUND OKLAHOMA COUNTY AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES FOR TRIBAL AND URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES. - THE AMERICAN INDIAN CANCER FOUNDATION (AICAF) IS A NATIVE-LED 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHED IN 2010 WITH A MISSION TO ELIMINATE THE CANCER INEQUITIES FACED BY AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVE (AI/AN) PEOPLE THROUGH PREVENTION, EARLY DETECTION, TREATMENT, AND SURVIVOR SUPPORT. AICAF OPERATES WITHIN THE BELIEF THAT NATIVE COMMUNITIES HAVE THE WISDOM AND THE SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS CANCER INEQUITIES BUT OFTEN SEEK ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY, EXPERT INPUT, AND RESOURCES. THE INDIGENOUS CANCER SOLUTIONS COALITION (ICS) PROPOSES TO BRING THE REACH PROGRAM TO NATIVE COMMUNITIES IN OKLAHOMA, INCLUDING OKLAHOMA COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS. IN OKLAHOMA, POVERTY RATES FOR AI/AN POPULATIONS ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE, WITH RATES LOWER IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY (20%) BUT MUCH HIGHER FOR CHILDREN (23%) AND SINGLE MOTHERS (32%). BY IMPLEMENTING THE CORE STRATEGIES UNDER COMPONENT A, AICAF AND ITS KEY PARTNER, OKLAHOMA CITY INDIAN CLINIC, ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND EXPAND COMMERCIAL TOBACCO POLICIES. AS A NATIONAL NATIVE-LED ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG AI/ANS, OUR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH, STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH AND FOR NATIVE COMMUNITIES, AND TRACK RECORD OF CULTURALLY-ENGAGED PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION POSITION US TO SUCCESSFULLY ADVANCE NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND REDUCE COMMERCIAL TOBACCO USE IN THE REGION OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OK. AICAF IS COMMITTED TO REACHING THE AI/AN COMMUNITY OF OVER 52,000 TRIBAL CITIZENS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF NATIVE PEOPLE IN A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE WAY.