Abstract ADV02: Black voices on health: Exploring possibilities for community-based research on cancer and co-morbidities amongst rural California Central Coast African Americans.

Abstract Carmelita Austin-Schreher, a breast cancer survivor who wanted to connect African-Americans to early detection education, support and services formed the African-American Community Health Group of the Central Coast with-in 4 months of her diagnosis. Beginning in 1998, we responded as a self-help group to the disproportionately high breast cancer mortality rates of African-American women, and the need for ethnically sensitive services. Carmelita and community members envisioned a group that would not only educate the African-American community about cancer, but one that would provide one-to-one and group support, a safe and comfortable environment for discussion, and would respect the cultural needs of our community. In order to provide its participants with the highest level of care and education, African-American Community Health Group is committed to staying on top of the latest news in health and cancer screening, treatment and research. African-American Community Health Group is proud of being a “grassroots” organization and is therefore dedicated to providing comprehensive screening outreach, health education, and long-term advocacy to empower all African-Americans in the central coast community. We continue to provide crucial cancer education and prevention services as well as peer support for people with cancer through targeted projects. However, in addition to these activities we expanded health promotion and disease prevention activities of our organization to providing broad-based health education to the larger African-American and underserved communities including men and families, through office hours, library, support groups, seminars, peer and leadership training, and health fairs. The mission of the African-American Community Health Group is to empower the African-American community of the central coast to be active and informed health consumers and survivors through self-help activities, advocacy training, and health education. Additionally, we work to create a dialogue with the community at large about racial disparities in health and the need for increased cultural and racial sensitivity. Citation Format: Carmelita Austin-Schreher. Black voices on health: Exploring possibilities for community-based research on cancer and co-morbidities amongst rural California Central Coast African Americans. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr ADV02. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-ADV02