Ana Maria Lopez
The Arizona Cancer Center and the Arizona Telemedicine Program have launched an innovative educational series for breast cancer patients and families and for their primary care providers.
The series is supported by a grant from the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. The Komen Foundation funds novel efforts that will aid in the detection, prevention and cure of breast cancer.
The principal investigator of this educational and outreach research effort is Dr. Ana María López, associate dean for outreach and multicultural affairs in the UA College of Medicine, associate professor of clinical medicine and pathology and medical director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program.
This work brings together the resources of the Arizona Cancer Center and the Arizona Telemedicine Program to reach breast cancer patients and health care providers who would otherwise not have access to state-of-the art information on breast cancer treatment, symptom management and survivorship.
Lopez said, “¡Vida! – which means life in Spanish – is the primary message of the series. This project is based on our previous work with breast cancer survivors who expressed that what they wanted and needed most was access to good information about their disease. Better information for patients and providers will hopefully result in better health care outcomes.”
This educational series has been developed in collaboration with five community sites. A community partnership group has worked collaboratively to select the topics. The topics for breast cancer survivors include alternative stress reduction strategies, physical activity, hereditary factors, long-term effects of treatment and diet and nutrition.
Each monthly session will have a counterpart session for providers, for which CME credit will be provided.
The overall goal of this project is to utilize telecommunications technology to bring cancer experts to communities to talk about topics critical to breast cancer survivors and their families.
All sessions will be delivered in a culturally and linguistically competent manner. Content will be developed specifically for this series, and evaluation will assess knowledge, utility and applicability. In addition, content will be available for delayed review via the Internet, as a DVD or VHS and via handouts.
¡VIDA! Breast Cancer Education for Survivors & Providers via Telemedicine is a collaborative effort that will offer bilingual (Spanish/English) breast health education simultaneously to five locations in Arizona via the Arizona Telemedicine Program:
Douglas: Southeast Arizona Medical Center, 2174 W. Oak Ave., Administration Building, 520-805-5952
Nogales: Mariposa Community Health Center, 1852 N. Mastick Way, 520-375- 6058
Payson: Payson Regional Medical Center, 807 S. Ponderosa, 928-472-1273
Tucson: St. Elizabeth’s Health Center, 140 W. Speedway Blvd., Suite 100, 520-628-7871, ext. 143
Yuma: Yuma Regional Medical Center, 2400 S. Avenue A, 928-336-2917
Breast Cancer Survivor Educational Series
For breast cancer survivors and family members, sessions will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., from April 2008 through April 2009. The first session will be held on April 1.
Health Care Providers Educational Series
For physicians, nurses, medical assistants and other medical personnel, sessions will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 12 to 1 p.m., March 2008 through April 2009. The first session will be held on March 25.
Admission is free and advanced registration at the local center is required. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
Ana Maria Lopez
520-626-2271
Bettina Hofacre
520-626-3265