Presenters at Pink Ribbon Sunday
L-R: Marlesa R. Moore, MD; Brenda E. Bryan, Sr. Research-Outreach Coordinator, Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center; Ingrid Gales, Financial Counselor, Penn Hematolgoy/Oncology; Olenga Anabul, MPH Candidate
On a cloudy Sunday in early October 2016, 90 women gathered to share a meal and hear breast cancer survivors and health professionals share their knowledge and stories about the importance of routine mammograms and early detection. While the air outside may have been chilly, the support and genuine concern shared in the room warmed everyone’s hearts.
The event, titled “Pink Ribbon Sunday,” was held October 2, 2016 at Shiloh Presbyterian Church Community Outreach Center, in Oxford as a primary educational kick-off event for a breast cancer awareness project focused in southern Chester County. The goal of the organizers is to reduce breast cancer incidences and mortality among African American women (and men) in Chester County.
Chester County Hospital’s Community Health and Wellness Services began this project as a result of its collaboration with the Chester County Health Department to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment. This assessment uncovered data that showed African American women in southern Chester County, specifically the Lower Oxford area, have higher incidences of breast cancer deaths compared to many other areas of the county.
“This finding caused us to tap into what the barriers in care or education are in this community and how to break them,” shared Julie Funk, director of Community Health and Wellness Services. “This event was considered a first step in the process, and an important one to address the issue and enhance our commitment to helping women in this community prevent breast cancer, or detect it at an earlier, more treatable stage.”
In addition to Pink Ribbon Sunday, the hospital established a work team that includes hospital representatives (Kelly Scott, Breast Health Nurse Navigator; Judy Suska, Oncology Program Director; Susan Pizzi, Community Health Education Coordinator; Julie Funk, Community Health and Wellness Services Director), community agencies (La Comunidad Hispana of Kennett Square and Oxford); Brenda Bryant, Outreach Coordinator/Health Educator for the Penn Abramson Cancer Center; and several women from the Shiloh Presbyterian Church congregation and Oxford community.
Shiloh Presbyterian Church is a small church that serves as an anchor to the African American community in the Lower Oxford area. The hospital’s Community Health and Wellness Department has worked with the wellness committee of the church for the past three years on various health programming, education and screening. The women of the church prepared the meal on Pink Ribbon Sunday and graciously welcomed the community to the event. “The women at Shiloh are connected to this community and we are so thankful for their partnership. They’re really opening the door for us to make a difference for the women,” said Funk.
Since the initiative’s inception, the team has been hard at work surveying African American women in southern Chester County for the purpose of gathering information from this community and assessing barriers to mammogram screenings. These surveys were taken at street fairs, during individual encounters, by various community partner groups and at Pink Ribbon Sunday. “The results from the collection of surveys will help to define the next steps in this process,” according to Funk.
Completed surveys have been sent to the Chester County Health Department for tabulation. This data will be used to create further programming intended to overcome barriers and provide an appropriate response to them.
About Chester County Hospital
Chester County Hospital was founded in 1892 as the Chester County’s first hospital. Since then, the non-profit has grown into a 248-bed acute-care inpatient facility in West Chester, PA. The hospital also has outpatient services in Exton, West Goshen, West Grove, Kennett Square and New Garden. In 2013, Chester County Hospital became part of Penn Medicine, which is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to medical education, biomedical research, and excellent patient care. In addition to quality-driven medical and surgical services, Chester County Hospital also offers home health, inpatient hospice and skilled nursing care; occupational medicine; outpatient laboratory, radiology and physical therapy services; wound care; cardiopulmonary rehab; and a prenatal clinic for the underserved.