Abstract B10: Nueva Vida: A support network for Latinas with cancer model and system of care delivery with an eye to community participatory research

Abstract

Nueva Vida's (NV) goal is to help translate research into practice in the Latino community to shape evidence based practices and influence health policy while communicating the real needs of Latina breast cancer survivors to the scientific community.

NV was founded in 1996 by Latina breast cancer survivors and health professionals to address the lack of culturally sensitive cancer support services for Latinas in the Washington, DC area. The mission of NV is to inform, support, and empower Latinas whose lives are affected by cancer, and to advocate for and facilitate the timely access to state of the art cancer care, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment for all Latinas. Since NV's inception, research participation, development, and implementation are integral to the system of care developed and provided in the community to Latina's with breast cancer. Specifically, NV's involvement in community participatory research enables the organization to influence the research agenda about breast cancer in the Latina community, particularly in the fields of psycho-oncology and access to care. NV's prioritization of research in its service delivery model provides an increased opportunity for the enrollment of Latinas in meaningful research on breast cancer with the goal of increasing not only access but awareness of the unique needs of this population. NV's pioneering programs and expertise serving uninsured/underserved Latinas with breast cancer places the agency in the role as a reliable source and key partner to work with the scientific community in the planning, designing, and development of relevant research.

Nueva Vida's collaboration with respected research institutions has led to the publication of research portraying critical demographic, clinical, and psychosocial information about minority survivor's behavior. NV has acquired an important presence in the consumer cancer advocacy movement at the national level, bringing the voice of Latinas with cancer to influential tables where research and health policy are shaped.

NV's research model not only sets a precedent for community research, but also establishes a better understanding of a historically misrepresented and misunderstood minority population in cancer research in the United States. NV's model of community participatory research documents best practice of service delivery which can be disseminated to other Latino communities and minorities across the United States.

Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B10.