A new program has drastically increased the number of African-American women in southeast Michigan who get tested for breast cancer, closing the gap between African-American and white women who get mammograms, the program's creators said Monday.

The Addressing Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening initiative was created by Henry Ford Health System and Health Alliance Plan in conjunction with major employers after health professionals identified a discrepancy in the number of black and white women who get regular mammograms, said Mary Beth Bolton, chief medical officer for HAP.

The insurance agency found that 81 percent of its white members get screened on a regular basis, while 76 percent of insured black women get tested.

The program, honored today with an award from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, is basically an outreach effort to remind black women to get mammograms and inform them about the test. HAP called the women at home and the American Cancer Society followed up with letters and other literature about the procedure.

Of the 500 people the program targeted, 27 percent or 135 women, got a mammogram or made an appointment to get one, Bolton said.

After neglecting to get screened for the past two decades, Jeanie Pope of Detroit said she was grateful for the phone call reminding her to get a mammogram. The 60-year-old retired elementary school teacher had been preoccupied with other health problems and "just sort of put it on the backburner."

She now has an appointment to get her first mammogram in 20 years.

"I think it's awesome and I'm so appreciative," she said of the program. "To think that your health care provider cares about you, that says a lot."

The first thing the health agencies did was identify the reasons why more black women don't get tested. They found that many said they were too busy, getting a mammogram was not a priority and they were afraid to find out they had cancer.

The initiative used several methods to encourage women to get tested; health agencies distributed informational materials and offered incentives such as spa treatments and a $20 gift card to Target if they got a mammogram.

The program will continue, spokeswoman Tiffany Baker said, with HAP sending reminders and offering incentives indefinitely. The HMO also will take what it has learned and apply it to a larger population.

Michigan Surgeon General Kimberlydawn Wisdom said she is "delighted" with the program and its results so far. As vice president of community health, education and wellness at Henry Ford, Wisdom helped bring it to fruition.

"I like how they are modeling a plan, a plan that can be used (to combat) other diseases," she said.

The program is one of nine managed care plans to be recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance this year. The committee honors plans that improve health care services for ethnic and minority groups.

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last updated: 12/05/07

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