Community Outreach and Engagement

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) recognizes the importance of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) to fulfill its commitment to reduce the burden of cancer in its catchment area and beyond. Case CCC's catchment area is a 15-county region in Northeast Ohio surrounding the city of Cleveland with a census of nearly 4 million individuals. Over 25% of individuals in the region identify as a racial or ethnic minority, 10% live in rural geography, and over 8% are uninsured. More than 80% of diagnosed and/or treated cancer cases at consortium hospitals reside in our catchment area, which comprises over a third of all new cancer cases in Ohio each year. Based on the most recent state data, 23,073 new cancer cases were diagnosed in the catchment area in 2020; age-adjusted incidence for all cancer sites in the catchment area is 462.6 per 100,000 persons, greater than the U.S. at 442.2 per 100,000 persons. The Center's catchment area has significantly higher age-adjusted incidence for breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and esophageal cancers, and significantly higher age-adjusted mortality for breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, multiple myeloma, and esophageal cancers compared to the U.S. Since the establishment of the Community Advisory Board (CAB) in 2012, Case CCC has worked collaboratively and bidirectionally with community partners to understand and address the regional cancer burden, particularly the underpinnings of disproportionate cancer incidence and mortality experienced among racial and ethnic minorities, those living in poverty, and other marginalized or medically underserved populations. The overarching goals of COE are to build capacity for collaborative, community-focused cancer research of relevance to the catchment area and promote cancer control activities that increase awareness and access to programs, including lifestyle factors and cancer screening, to reduce the burden of cancer in the region. To achieve these goals, COE's aims are: (1) assess, monitor, and prioritize cancer-related needs of Case CCC's catchment area; (2) foster research responsive to catchment area priorities and needs through bidirectional engagement; and (3) implement cancer control activities and support policies for impact within the catchment area and beyond. These aims demonstrate Case CCC's commitment to supporting an environment of collaboration with both Case CCC members and community partners to enhance discovery, promote innovative and community-changing collaborations, increase awareness and access to cancer prevention and care, and facilitate impactful research across Case CCC research programs of direct relevance to the catchment area with the ultimate goal of ensuring equitable outcomes and decreased burden of cancer.