Developing partnerships to reduce disparities in cancer screening

Interventions in scientific settings to improve the well-being of women who are not regularly screened for cancer have failed. Consequently, community-based prevention and control efforts are needed.

From 2003 through 2007, three federal agencies and 1 nongovernmental agency collaborated with county-level public health counterparts from 6 states to address screening disparities in cervical and breast cancer in counties with the highest prevalence. This case study describes lessons learned from Team Up, a model pilot program.

We conducted a descriptive qualitative case study including 5 Southern states and 1 Midwestern state: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The 6 states underwent a 5-step process to adopt, adapt, and implement 1 of 3 evidence-based interventions designed for cervical and breast cancer screening.

The 6 participating states had various levels of success. Participating states formed and sustained viable interorganizational public health partnerships throughout the pilot program and beyond.

Although this innovative pilot faced many difficulties, participants overcame substantial obstacles and produced many key accomplishments. Team Up brought together 2 challenging public health strategies: the translation of evidence-based approaches to communities and populations, and partnerships among diverse people and organizations. Case study results suggest that using a mix of approaches can promote the transference of evidence from research into practice through local, regional, and national partnerships.