The West Virginia Rural Cancer Prevention project

The West Virginia Rural Cancer Prevention Demonstration Project was designed to improve the health of the residents of a rural county by preventing cancer or diagnosing it at an earlier stage. The initial phase of the project consisted of a random telephone survey of county households, a series of focus groups, and review of patient records at a local community health center. A committee composed of the project investigators, local citizens, and local health providers identified a series of interventions to be implemented in the target county. Interventions included community-based education, improvements in on-site mammography and colposcopy, augmenting current screening and educational programs for cancer of the breast and uterine cervix, a "cancer shepherd" program, and a program to improve patient compliance and tracking within the local community health center. Outcomes of this demonstration project generally support the concept of a broad-based program to increase utilization of services for the prevention and early diagnosis of cancer of the breast and cervix in a rural community. Local culture, geography, educational level, and economics for the target area are critical considerations.