Advocacy and Public Policy

The OEMH coordinates advocacy and public policy efforts focused primarily on cancer health disparities. This office actively monitors, responds and participates in national and local policy and industry initiatives to shape and guide issues that have high impact on cancer care, including diversity, disparities in outcomes of care, and other social determinants of health. Key priorities are to foster primary prevention and early detection initiatives with community-based organizations and medically underserved populations; to increase access to cancer care for underserved communities; and to improve awareness and participation in research and clinical trials.

Current efforts include the following:

• Develop and implement culturally appropriate prevention and early detection programs, with community-based partner organizations targeted to minority populations and designed to decrease incidence, morbidity and mortality in these groups
• Provide proactive leadership and coordination with partner organizations with the goal of positively impacting legislation and regulation to expand access to health care overall and specifically cancer prevention and treatment services (i.e. state funding for screening and treatment of breast cancer among the uninsured)
• Promote awareness of and access to clinical trials with the goal of enhancing participation by minority and medically underserved popultions
• Actively participate in national initiatives that support and advance the elimination of health disparities particularly as they apply to cancer; key initiatives include those of AACI, AACR, C-Change, the InterCultural Cancer Council and American Cancer Society.
• Conduct annual briefings with local and state public officials to advance their understanding of the challenges faced by minorities and the medically underserved and to inform decision-making and potential legislation