ARC and The Centers for Disease Control to Fund a Cervical Cancer Screening Project in Appalachia

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (CDC DCPC), recently announced a $400,000 jointly funded initiative to reduce the high rate of cervical cancer mortality in Appalachia -- the highest in the United States.

Under a contract with the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky, the project will introduce cervical cancer screening initially in at least two of the Region's distressed counties. The project will promote local leadership and partnerships, and use a tailored approach to community-based programming to increase screening among women rarely or never screened. A ten to twelve member Cervical Cancer Advisory Work Group will assist with planning, implementing, and evaluating this project. Successful screenings may be replicated throughout the Region.

Research indicates that interventions, particularly those that are evidence-based, culturally-situated, that acknowledge the importance of community context, and are developed in conjunction with communities, have the potential to reduce cervical cancer -- especially in older women in Appalachia. Sixty percent of disease, however, is found in women who have not been screened.

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