Abstract C118: Utilizing health navigators and technology to increase cancer screening and healthy lifestyle: Preliminary findings from the Yale Cancer Disparities Firewall Project
Authors: Killins Monique , Suttiratana Sakinah , Herbst Roy , Prinz Jacqueline , Green Briyana , DeJesus Jose , Stevens Denise , Jones Beth A 
Published: September 2020

Background Patient navigation is proving an effective evidenced based strategy for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment. Novel solutions are needed to provide community members with local cancer screening and prevention resources. The Yale Cancer Disparities Firewall (Firewall) recently launched a “health” navigation program that combines health navigators, technology and screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) to initiate ongoing wellness relationships with people in need of cancer screening and risk reduction support. Health navigation utilizes a digital platform, NowPow, LLC, to connect community members to cancer screening, prevention and social resources. Health navigation, powered by NowPow, LLC, is a key component as we build a cancer disparities firewall around at–risk populations by addressing patient cancer risk reduction, screening and social needs using health navigators. Methodology Health navigators recruited community members for health navigation at Yale Cancer Center community outreach and engagement events. Participants identified one or more self-management goals of interest: tobacco treatment, weight management, eating healthier food, physical activity and cancer prevention. With telephone follow-up, health navigators screened individuals using NowPow, LLC, a digital platform that can tailor zip code specific screening and prevention and SDOH resources to individual needs. Resource lists were populated for each participant based on SDOH screenings and participant self-management goals and sent via text message and/or email. Health navigators tracked participant engagement with resources at 1 week, 2 week and 3-4 week intervals via telephone. Results Navigators contacted 511 individuals in a 2-month period: 141 demonstrated interest and 42 entered the program (71.4% female, 65% AA, 20%H/L, 6% other). Health Prevention Priorities: healthier food: 71.4%, physical activity: 66.7%, weight management: 61.9%, cancer prevention: 40.5%, finding healthy food: 31%, tobacco treatment: 11.9%. The top 3 SDOH needs were housing instability (32%), food insecurity (24%), and utilities (23%). Distances to referred services ranged 4.7 to 11.1 miles from the participants’ zipcode. Within 4 weeks of follow-up, 54% of individuals contacted at least 1 resource. The major reason given for not accessing referred resources was “too busy”. Conclusions In this pilot project, we are using NowPow, LLC, a digital interface to facilitate health navigators in linking community members to both cancer screening and SDOH resources. Although interest in receiving navigation has been relatively high, accessing the resources that have been provided lags. Understanding the barriers to uptake will be key to the development of strategies to overcome lifestyle barriers such as time constraints and competing priorities to ensure the utilization of local cancer screening and prevention and SDOH resources by all participants.

Citation Format: Monique Killins, Sakinah Suttiratana, Roy Herbst, Jacqueline Prinz, Briyana Green, Jose DeJesus, Denise Stevens, Beth A Jones. Utilizing health navigators and technology to increase cancer screening and healthy lifestyle: Preliminary findings from the Yale Cancer Disparities Firewall Project [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C118.