The Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) is taking strides to address health inequities by partnering directly with affected local communities. We aim to identify effective strategies to reduce the cancer burden and increase health equity for all.
Enter the SCI Community Advisory Board (SCI-CAB). The board consists of a diverse tapestry of over 40 internal and external members, including representatives from the SCI, Stanford Health Care, community-based organizations, cancer survivors, and patient advocates. The SCI-CAB meets quarterly to provide the SCI with invaluable insights and guidance. The board weaves local community perspectives into our research, clinical care, education, and community outreach and engagement to create an open communication forum that builds trust and understanding within the diverse communities we serve.
Dinah Trevil, MPA, executive director of the SCI Office of Cancer Health Equity, states, “We are constantly learning from our SCI-CAB and are grateful for their continued support and involvement in impacting our progress to increase health equity in our community.”
Cancer Education
Cancer education forms a critical thread in the SCI's mission to disseminate cancer information to the Bay Area. Similarly, one of the board's key initiatives involves distributing cancer educational resources with a focus on reaching underrepresented minorities and medically underserved groups. Building trusted relationships with the community is vital to ensure that essential cancer messaging is heard.
SCI-CAB member Lisa Tealer, executive director of the Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC), says, “The communities we serve are often either uninformed or misinformed of cancers that disproportionately impact them. It is imperative that culturally appropriate and accurate cancer education is provided to community members and their families through trusted messengers and platforms. Cancer education in combination with equitable access and navigation is needed to reduce the risk and burden of cancer.”
“To provide cancer education also requires significant resources and community engagement to ensure continuity and consistent messaging that most importantly builds trusted relationships in the community. This type of investment and commitment demonstrates the importance of cancer education and how it impacts the community's health. This is one of the reasons why I became involved with the SCI-CAB.”
Cancer Clinical Trials
Diversity in cancer clinical trials is critical to developing effective therapies that benefit all populations. However, racial and ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials. That’s why the SCI is committed to expanding access and increasing diverse enrollment in cancer clinical trials. The SCI-CAB plays a vital role in helping SCI leadership devise strategic approaches to enhance clinical trial participation, particularly among Black patients.
Tackling the obstacles that hinder underserved communities from accessing healthcare is the first step toward increasing diversity in cancer clinical trials. Trevil emphasizes the importance of establishing trust-based relationships with key community stakeholders before broaching the subject of clinical trials. The SCI-CAB is actively fostering trustworthy connections between SCI leadership and local communities.
“Before engaging communities about participation in clinical trials, we need to first address the barriers or social determinants of health that prevent our communities from accessing our healthcare system. Addressing social determinants of health as well as providing equitable access to information on clinical trials will be key to increasing diversity,” says Trevil.
Financial Toxicity
The SCI-CAB is actively working toward addressing financial toxicity in our community. Financial toxicity describes the economic burden and distress experienced by individuals and their families due to the high costs of cancer care. Economic strain can adversely affect a patient’s overall well-being and quality of life and be a critical roadblock to accessing healthcare. The high cost of medical treatment and healthcare services can lead to missed or delayed medical appointments and hinder early cancer detection and timely cancer treatment. Studies have shown that cancer patients who experience financial toxicity are more likely to have lower treatment adherence rates and worse health outcomes.
Dale O’Brien, MD, MPH, executive director of the Cancer Patients Alliance and a member of SCI-CAB, expresses significant concern about addressing the financial challenges associated with cancer care. To gain a deeper understanding of the extent of financial toxicity within our local communities, a committed subcommittee convenes regularly to explore potential solutions.
“The subcommittee is actively exploring potential remedies to alleviate financial toxicity and aims to develop actionable solutions that can be applied to the Bay Area and potentially other geographic regions,” reports O’Brien.
SCI-CAB
The board plays a critical role in ensuring that the SCI meets the needs of our communities by threading our community's diverse perspectives and experiences into the fabric of the SCI's initiatives. Their input and advice are invaluable in forming a collective action in the fight against cancer health inequalities.
“Our SCI-CAB members are true partners in our work, and we rely on them to keep us connected to the pulse of the community and grounded in our purpose of reducing cancer burden and disparities by improving health equity,” emphasized Trevil.
