Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Southeast U.S. Diversity Outreach

At Mayo Clinic in Florida, systems are in place to provide support personnel for inclusion of diverse populations within clinical trials. That support is designed to promote collaborations and interactions with research affiliates. Mayo Clinic in Florida has affiliation agreements with Baptist Health Systems and Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Hollywood Memorial Health Systems in Hollywood, Florida.

Research studies are underway in collaboration with the Duval County Health Department to investigate abnormal screening mammograms obtained as part of the national Centers for Disease Control screening program. Additional Mayo Clinic collaborations are planned with University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and Shands Hospital in Jacksonville. Mayo Clinic in Florida engages in collaborative studies with the Community Hospice Northeast, a health care facility that serves more than 95 percent of terminal cancer patients residing in northeast Florida.

Mayo Clinic in Florida supports staff dedicated to developing community outreach and education on cancer clinical trials and screening to predominantly African American and Hispanic communities, primarily through church group affiliations.

Cancer Prevention: "Live Well. Be Well." is a community outreach and education program managed by a dedicated team of physicians and coordinators from Mayo Clinic in Florida. The program's goal is to reduce health disparities in cancer. Mayo's activities include visits to local churches, participation in citywide and community health fairs, partnering with local organizations on cancer education and awareness projects, and hosting educational seminars on cancer awareness in the community. The program has received several regional ACS grants for projects aimed at providing education on colorectal and breast cancer to local minority communities. These projects have reached out to the communities through local churches and faith-based organizations.

Program coordinators are available to speak to any local group or organization about what the community can do to prevent, detect and treat cancer. Over the last year, more than 6,080 individuals have been touched through "Live Well. Be Well." This local participation is expected to increase throughout 2008.