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Teleconference Health Education |
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¡VIDA! Breast Cancer Series
Educates Arizona Communities
Other Topics:
e-Prescribing
Rebecca Ruiz-McGill, University Communications
October 6, 2008
The series was developed to deliver information to patients who
would otherwise not have access to current information on breast
cancer treatments.
Vida means life in Spanish, and it is the name for the breast
cancer health educational series offered to patients, their
families and primary care providers via simultaneous statewide
teleconferencing in both English and Spanish.
The ¡VIDA! Breast Cancer Educational series is teleconferenced
to six locations in Arizona and is presented by the Arizona
Cancer Center and The University of Arizona Telemedicine
Program, supported by a grant from the national office of Susan
G. Komen for the Cure. |
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The teleconference sites include the
Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas, the Mariposa
Community Health Center in Nogales, the Payson Regional Medical
Center in Payson, St. Elizabeth's Health Center in Tucson, the
Peter and Paula Fasseas Cancer Clinic in Tucson and the Yuma
Center for Border Health, Inc. in Yuma.
The principal investigator of this educational and outreach
research effort is Dr. Ana María López, associate dean for
outreach and multicultural affairs in the UA College of
Medicine, associate professor of clinical medicine and pathology
and medical director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program.
"This project is based on our previous work with breast cancer
survivors who expressed that what they wanted and needed most
was access to good information about their disease," López said.
"Better information for patients and providers will hopefully
result in better health care outcomes."
The overall goal of the project is to use telecommunications
technology to bring cancer experts to communities to discuss
topics critical to breast cancer survivors and their families.
Series dates and topics are as follows:
* Oct. 7: Lymphedema prevention and treatment
* Nov. 4: Stress reduction strategies (reiki, yoga, massage)
* Jan. 6: Coping skills and coping with the fear of recurrence
* Feb. 3: Pain and neuropathy after breast cancer treatment
* March 3: Physical activity and breast cancer
* April 7: Communicating with your health care provider
* May 5: Memory loss and difficulty concentrating after breast
cancer
"The topic of lymphedema is the educational focus for October,
National Breast Cancer Month. Although not as prevalent a
syndrome today, lymphedema remains a chronic problem for many
breast cancer survivors. Like all of our sessions, the goal is
to bring useful clinical information to the patient and her
primary care provider in order to facilitate care," López said.
This educational series was developed in collaboration with six
community sites to bring the program and its information to
patients and providers who would otherwise not have access to
state-of-the-art information on breast cancer treatment, symptom
management and survivorship.
"A community partnership group worked collaboratively to select
the topics for breast cancer survivors and includes alternative
stress reduction strategies, physical activity, hereditary
factors, long-term effects of treatment and diet and nutrition,"
said Bettina Hofacre, the program's senior coordinator. "In
addition, all sessions are delivered in a culturally and
linguistically competent manner."
The series is supported by a grant from the national Susan G.
Komen for the Cure Foundation. The Komen Foundation funds novel
efforts that will aid in the detection, prevention and cure of
breast cancer.
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