A Call Takes Care of Your Life
Project Location:
Panama City
Project Leader:
Monica Garcia
Project Goal:
To increase breast health knowledge of the Las Torres de los Altos community
Target Audience:
Community members of Las Torres de los Altos
Project Description:
With Panama City having the highest breast cancer incidence rate in the country, this project focused on the outlying, densely populated community of Las Torres de los Altos in an effort to increase breast health knowledge in the community. The project team provided three BSA workshops to a total of 203 women ranging in ages up to 72 years old. The majority of these women had clinical breast exams performed, as well as the opportunity to have their blood pressure and vaccinations. A total of 73 women received appointments to have a mammography exam. Women who attended the first sessions often recommended it to other women in their communities. In addition, the team is designing a directory of breast health services of the principle health institutions in the country’s 14 regions, which will include hospitals, health centers pertaining to the Ministry of Health and polyclinics administered by the Social Security Office (Caja de Seguro Social).
Implementation of a Strategic Plan on Education and Detection
Project Location:
San Jose, Veraguas province
Project Leader:
Ruth Medina Pino
Target Audience:
Women of the San Jose, Veraguas community
Project Description:
156 women ages 20 and older from 22 rural communities signed up to go through this training program that consisted of a six-hour workshop on BSA, healthy lifestyles and breast cancer. Through a collaboration with the local San Francisco health clinic and the San Jose Health Post, participants who attended the clinics had the opportunity to sign up for the course. The 30 women who attended the first session told their neighbors about this, and the sign-up sheets filled up quickly. Many women who live in marginalized communities which are difficult to access, walked several hours at times through inclement weather to attend, such was their commitment and need for these types of programs. Through a strategic alliance with the Ministry of Health, 207 women received clinical breast exams. The project partnered with the private screening center Serra Radiologia, which lowered its mammography screening costs so that 45 women who either showed suspicious symptoms or had high risk factors could be screened in the city of Santiago. The Ministry of Health absorbed the biopsy costs for one participant, and ANCEC (National Cancer Association) donated the cost for an ultrasound. The project, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, churches, community leaders and the University of Panama, with their nursing students, also organized a Breast Health Fair in October, attended by 300 people. During the event, 60 women received CBEs and 15 men received prostate cancer screenings. According to residents, this was the first time an event of this magnitude had taken place there.
Love Your Body as Your First Love
Project Location:
Las Nubes, Panama
Project Leader:
Alicia Luaces
Target Audience:
150 Kuna indigenous group of Las Nubes ages 20+; 25 healthcare professionals from local healthcare centers; 10 traditional healers and midwives
Project Description:
The Love Your Body as Your First Love community grant project took place in the indigenous community of Kalu Mugir Yala, a half hour from Panama City. This community, which in Spanish is called Las Nubes (the Clouds), is made up of a population of approximately 800 Kunas who emigrated from the San Blas Islands. Most of the residents are uninsured, speak a language other than Spanish and have limited access to resources. The project, with the support of community leaders, trained 200 residents, a majority of them women ages 20+, in addition to male community leaders and community midwives and traditional healers on Breast Self-Awareness (BSA). The Komen BSA video was dubbed into the Kuna language. During the training, daycare, complete with face painters, was provided for 250 children. In addition, with the support of the Ministry of Health and the public health system’s CSS, 50 primary care doctors from the health center closest to Las Nubes were trained on clinical breast exams and BSA and were sensitized to the special needs of this community. 50 Kuna women, accompanied by project leaders and volunteers, received their first mammography screening at the National Oncology Institute in Panama City. The project also received the support from ANCEC, FUNDACANCER, Claro.com and Roche.
Rays of Hope
Project Location:
Penonome, Province of Cocle
Project Leader:
Edith Ortega Martínez
Target Audience:
100 women of the Ola district ages 20+
Project Description:
In the province of Cocle, where 57.1% of the population lives in poverty and 27.7% live in extreme poverty, the Rays of Hope Project centered on the rural and difficult to reach population of the district of Ola. By engaging the local communities, which quickly sprang into action to announce and recruit women for the trainings, and with a team consisting of a medical doctor and three nurses, the project set out to reach 100 women with Breast Self-Awareness workshops and create a network of community health promoters. In fact, the project trained 301 women in BSA in five communities of Ola, and performed 397 clinical breast exams and 158 pap smears. The participating women were so committed to this project that it was not uncommon for them to walk from two to five hours to attend the event. For women who had suspicious symptoms, the project arranged to transport them for mammography and ultrasound screenings. Because there are no nearby services, some of the women had to leave at 1 a.m. to reach their morning appointments. In total, 48 women received mammography screenings and 27 ultrasounds, with eight biopsies performed. The project, where all of the community women expressed a great desire to participate, highlighted the great value these communities place on programs of this type. The logistical efforts provided by the communities, as well as their empowerment in their role as promoters were essential for the project’s success.
Secondary Prevention for Breast Cancer
Project Location:
Veraguas Province
Project Leader:
Santiago Gonzalez
Project Goal:
To implement an integral breast health plans for women over 20 years old in 13 rural health centers in Veraguas
Target Audience:
Women 20 and older in the province of Veraguas
Project Description:
In order to reach women in remote and difficult to reach areas, this project established a systematic training program in 13 rural health centers in the province of Veraguas to offer integral breast health care to women 20+ and train them on Breast Self-Awareness. The areas selected included those with the greatest economic and geographic inaccessibility. In total 2259 women were reached through the BSA education efforts and also had clinical breast exams administered. A total of 62 women were screened through mammography. The NGO Fundacancer has contacted the team to provide follow up to the program through the financing of mammography exams for low-income and uninsured women with suspicious breast cancer symptoms. In addition, the health professionals in the 13 clinics have been sensitized to the breast health needs of the women in their communities.
Training 50 General Doctors of Rural Areas
Project Location:
Santiago, Veraguas
Project Leader:
Dr. Domenico Melillo
Project Goal:
To improve health services in the province of Veraguas by training 50 general doctors in order to increase early detection of breast cancer.
Target Audience:
50 general practice doctors in the Veraguas province
Project Description:
To increase breast cancer knowledge of 50 general doctors in the province of Veraguas in order to provide improved breast health services to the population. The project also aims to create a volunteer network of doctors to provide sustainability in working with the health organizations of the province.