http://www.cancernetwork.com/breast-cancer/content/article/10165/1155980
This is a great article about Dr. Harold Freeman, a Harlem "guru" of cancer servcies and advocacy for the underserved. He is a former president of the American Cancer Society, Director of Surgery at Harlem HospitalHospital, and started the Patient Navigator Institute.
This is a quote from him in the article: “We found that poor Americans, regardless of race, have a 5-year cancer survival rate 10% to 15% lower than other Americans. It was important because it made us look at the universal meaning of being poor, irrespective of race,” Dr. Freeman said. It also showed the fragile nature of being poor: without access to healthcare, the poor disappear into themselves."
Right, and it is such a great and vital program because as Eileen spoke about, it is easy to fall through the cracks of the healthcare system and especially if you are considered 'poor' the doctors wont even offer you some of the services that you may need or want. They give you just the bare minimum.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that he noted the universal implication of poverty as opposed to racially linked poverty. The people who are poor are also likely to be less educated. This is where community outreach programs in education will help in eliminating an prevent the presence of cancer in the community.
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