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Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
SUPER Workshop – Screening Underserviced Populations to Expand Reach Workshop

Location: Toronto, ON; Canada
Project Owner: Pam Tobin, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Facilitators: Kimberly Bain, Bain Group Consulting

 

Client/sponsor

Pam Tobin
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer 

Facilitator

Kimberly Bain
Bain Group Consulting

SUPER Workshop – Screening Underserviced Populations to Expand Reach Workshop

Description

The Partnership collaborates with a broad range of cancer and chronic disease partners to develop high-impact approaches to cancer screening and population-based prevention. Taking action now and sustaining these activities over time means that fewer people will develop cancer in the long term. It also means that Canadians will benefit fully from screening programs designed to limit the impact of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers and in some cases, to prevent cancer from occurring. 

Checking people for certain cancers before there are any symptoms—cancer screening—saves lives. The challenge is to make sure the right people get the right tests at the right times and that the screening programs continue to be of the highest possible quality. Ensuring high-quality follow-up of people’s test results is also central to the Partnership’s work to support early diagnosis.

The objective of the Screening in Underserved Populations to Expand Reach (SUPER) workshop was to explore opportunities to engage underserved populations impacted by low income, rural/remote geography and/or immigrant status in breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening. The workshop was designed to:

  • Identify disparities in screening access and participation, as well as reveal gaps in knowledge on the barriers and enablers to enhance screening participation amongst Canadian underserved populations;
  • Examine the reasons why screening disparities in Canadian underserved populations have persisted; and,
  • Advise on future national opportunities to improve screening participation amongst an identified underserved population and disease site(s).

Key Results Achieved

Key results achieved include:

  • Identified disparities in screening access and participation, as well as revealed gaps in knowledge on the barriers and enablers to enhance screening participation amongst Canadian underserved populations;
  • Examined and documented the reasons why screening disparities in Canadian underserved populations have persisted; and,
  • Created a consensus-based National Action Plan to improve screening participation 
  • Reached a consensus on a list of underserved population and disease site(s) for national focus.

The consensus reached at the Workshop has been sustained, has enjoyed support across provincial/territorial jurisdictions and has guided action on this important national agenda.