Thank you for visiting our Blog. We invite you to explore these articles highlighting diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging. Written by staff writer and editor Helana Shumway, along with other members of our community, these entries provide valuable information, personal insights, and inspiration to help you navigate your cancer experience and connect with the resources available through the Coalition.
For more information or to ask a question, please email info@bccr.org. Thank you for visiting us here.
Affirming Care in Action: Honoring the LGBTQIA+ Community During a Breast or Gynecologic Cancer Diagnosis
While cancer does not discriminate in the sense that anyone can be impacted by a diagnosis, cancer affects people and communities differently. Health disparities in cancer care and outcomes exist based on many social identities like race, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic status, along with sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Importance of Language Equity in Cancer Care
Let me ask a question: What would you do if you couldn’t understand your doctor during one of the most critical moments of your life such as a cancer diagnosis?
La importancia de la equidad en el lenguaje en la atención del cáncer
Permítame hacerle una pregunta: ¿Qué haría si no pudiera entender a su médico durante uno de los momentos más críticos de su vida, como lo es un diagnóstico de cáncer?
Redlined! Historical Redlining and Breast Cancer
While redlining has long been outlawed, its harm on neighborhoods and communities continues to be seen and felt today. Sarah Lima, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist who studies the connection between historically redlined communities and breast cancer. She received her doctorate from the University at Buffalo and has focused much of her research on New York cities that were redlined. Her research asserts that the structural racism set in place by redlining policies impacts present-day breast cancer survival rates and the prevalence of risk factors associated with the disease.
Reflections from the Getting Our Fair SHARE Conference
The SHARE conference focused on advancing health equity through addressing four important themes: access to care, financial toxicity, health literacy and psychosocial impact for those living with breast or gynecologic cancer.
Community in Action: The Power of Cultivation and Grassroots Collaboration
To cultivate community among those affected by breast or gynecologic cancers.
This is how the Breast Cancer Coalition’s mission statement begins. Cultivating community is a key tenet of the work that we do, but what does this “cultivation” look like in action?
Advocating for a Future
I became an Advocacy Committee member and began the training needed to be efficient in advocating for the research needed to find not only a cure for breast and gynecologic cancer but ensuring that necessary resources are accessible to cancer survivors.
Racial Disparities
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Black women and White women get breast cancer at about the same rate, but Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than White women.” Furthermore, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a subtype of the disease that presents challenges to treatment. […]