Abstract A022: Assessing, understanding, and addressing social determinants of cancer health disparities through patient navigation among rural Arkansans
Authors: German Valandra L. 
Published: December 2023

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Office of Community Outreach and Engagement has developed a Cancer Patient Navigation Program dedicated to improving cancer care for everyone in Arkansas. The team includes nurse navigators and community health workers that help bridge the gap between cancer patients, and financial resources in the community, and health care providers. The Cancer Patient Navigation Program emphasizes patient empowerment through prevention, screening, and treatment for rural and underserved populations across the state. The aim of the program is to help eliminate barriers to health care by providing resources for cancer treatment to rural and underserved populations across Arkansas. Navigators and community health works are located throughout every geographic region of Arkansas and are representative of the diversity in the communities they serve. Navigators and community health workers use the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE®) to identify cancer patients’ barriers to care. PRAPARE® is a standardized patient risk assessment tool consisting of a set of national core measures as well as a process for addressing the social drivers at both the patient and population levels. Since May 2022, the Cancer Patient Navigation program has assessed and addressed the needs of 350 cancer patients. The data collected by navigators and community health workers has improved care coordination services, increased collaborations with local community partners with similar goals, and provided a unique opportunity for UAMS to better understand challenges of cancer patients and provide more appropriate services and care that is needed on a community level. The PRAPRE data has allowed the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement to understand the number of social determinants risks as well as the most common social determinant risks in our patient population. The risk tally score established a baseline to determine who might be more “at risk” by both geographic location and cancer diagnosis. To date, the data collected has been analyzed to track referrals and interventions. The data will further be used to ensure community-engagement priorities and resources are integrated into all Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute research cores and clinical enterprises. Addressing the adverse social drivers of health will ultimately allow UAMS to improve patient well-being, facilitate access to prevention, screening, and treatment.

Citation Format: Valandra L. German. Assessing, understanding, and addressing social determinants of cancer health disparities through patient navigation among rural Arkansans [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A022.