Project
REACH: Training School Employees to Implement Local Cancer Education
Programs
Why
Do School Employees Need This Program?
How
Can State or Local Education Associations Get Involved?
is Project REACH?
If mammograms
help find breast cancer early, and Pap tests help find cervical
cancer early, why are some school employees not getting these screening
tests? Project
REACH has a simple agenda:
- Help female
school employees identify ways to overcome the things that stop
them (barriers) from getting mammograms and Pap tests - Teach school
employees the importance of finding cancer early (early detection)
- Show school
employees what local breast and cervical cancer services are available
Project
REACH was designed by and for school employees, in partnership with
the North Carolina Association of Educators, and the Robeson and
New Hanover Associations of Educators, made possible by a cooperative
agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Through this partnership, the Project REACH Training Program was
born around key steps to planning local cancer education programs
for school employees.
Under the leadership
of NEA State or Local Affiliates, known as Affiliate Coordinators,
a Project REACH Training Course is implemented for volunteer teams
of school employees representing key populations in their school
community. The Training Course is a one day event during which participants
learn basic cancer information, resources available in their community,
and the steps to take to plan a local program for others in their
school community. The Affiliate Coordinators implementing Project
REACH establish partnerships with local cancer organizations and
agencies, known as Community Resource Partners, to identify
breast and cervical resources and services available to school employees,
and training teams. The most important thing you training teams
will do is make others in their school community aware of the community
resources and services available to them.
Why
Do School Employees Need This Program?
School employees
face barriers unique to the school work setting that may prevent
them from getting early detection screening exams. Barriers most
often cited by school employees include lack of privacy, insufficient
or no health care benefits (especially for part time employees),
insufficient vacation/sick days for preventive care visits to their
doctor, and lack of an identified resource person on campus (such
as a school nurse, wellness coordinator, etc). While all school
employees face barriers to getting mammograms and Pap tests, there
a certain priority populations within
the school setting that have characteristics that increase their
need for early detection information and services. And often, they
do not get the same information and resources as those provided
to others about health.
How
Can State or Local Education Associations Get Involved?
NEA HIN is seeking
dedicated and enthusiastic NEA affiliated education associations
to assist in implementing the Project Reach Training Program for
their members in the Spring of 2001. Selected education associations
must commit to this program through December 2001 and will be awarded
small grants and in-kind materials and technical assistance from
NEA HIN for their participation. Education associations who have
participated in previous phases of the Project REACH Training Program
are not eligible for participation in the 2001 phase. For a complete
overview of criteria for selection and an application for participation,
contact Rena Large, Project Coordinator, by email
or toll-free at 1-800-718-8387 (202-822-7572 in the DC Metro
Area). Please include the name of your education association, your
name and title, and a daytime phone number in your message.
How
Can Individuals Get Involved?
- Talk to
your health care provider about the screening exams and tests
appropriate for your age, personal and family health history,
and other risk factors. - Learn
more about cancer. A great place to start is National Cancer
Institute’s (NCI) comprehensive and easy to read What You Need
To Know Series and the American Cancer Society’s Facts
and Figures. Link to these resources from our Links
& Resources page. - Promote
an existing event such as Race for the Cure or October – Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. The National Health Information Center
offers a calendar of national health
observances, (theme days, weeks, and months) and organizations
and resources for these special events. - Plan your
own event. NEA
members all over the country are planning their own events and
promotional efforts including: Asking for a few minutes to speak
at existing meetings, offering informal open-houses for school
employees to talk to local experts, hanging informational posters
in staff lounges and inside bathroom stall doors, and sending
information home with students for adult family members or caregivers.
Link to program planning resources from our Links
& Resources page. - Be aware
of local resources available to you and share that information
with others at every opportunity. Contact your local health department
for more information on breast and cervical cancer screening services
in your community.
What
Resources Are Available From NEA HIN?
NEA HIN offers
several resources to education associations and members for planning
local cancer education programs. Order and apply online.
The
Project REACH Training Program and materials are funded through
Cooperative Agreement # U57/CCU315125 with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Contents of related materials and
documents, including related portions of this website, are solely
the responsibility of the NEA Health Information Network and do
not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.