TSU Breast Cancer Screening & Prevention Center
Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Texas. Cancer disparities are often found in incidence, prevalence, mortality, survivorship, burden of illness, stage at diagnosis, and screening rates. Women with lower socioeconomic status and particularly African American (AA) women have been identified as having worse treatment outcomes and higher mortality rates with breast cancer than women with higher socioeconomic status and white women.
Texas Southern University (TSU), uniquely positioned through years of unparalleled trust and relationship building with AA communities across the state, proposes to expand the Breast Cancer Screening and Prevention Center (BCSPC) to provide
- Breast cancer screening and diagnostic services
- Patient navigation/barrier reduction services, and
- Evidence-based culturally appropriate breast cancer awareness and education services for AA women living in Harris, Grimes, Matagorda, Walker, and Wharton counties.
TSU is located in the Third Ward in Harris County which is a medically underserved area and predominantly AA. This program will target AA women in Third Ward and other surrounding medically underserved communities with similar demographics in Harris County. The 4 additional counties of the BCSPC service area are medically underserved, non-metropolitan counties with AA populations ranging from 11 to > 24%. Although BCSPC will leverage TSU’s unique standing and reputation among AA communities to impact AA women, it should be noted that non-AA eligible ethnic minority women will also be included in the program.