OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT Interviewees identified four areas of cancer services and care as opportunties for improvement.
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If I could change one thing, there would be follow- up with every single patient and community member about the importance of cancer screening.”
Prevention Education and Screening/Early Detection • Educate people about early detection, regular checkups, and awareness of their body. • Help elders and Alaska Natives who live traditionally feel more comfortable with Western medical care.
Diagnosis
• Offer more cancer information upon diagnosis; offer support groups and counselors. • Provide more interpreters for Indigenous speakers.
Survivorship and Quality of Life
• Proactively check on patients after they return from treatment in Anchorage. • Assign patients to ongoing care teams so providers know their patient’s history. • Provide support groups, nutrition support, meditation groups, and a healing touch unit. • Offer physical therapy to increase survivors’ strength and range of motion after treatment. • Support end-of-life care needs.
Access to Treatment and Coordination of Care
• Create an effective case manager/cancer navigator system to assist patients with scheduling, travel and lodging arrangements, and financial options for cancer treatment. • When planning for Anchorage cancer care, cluster appointments to reduce travel costs. • Provide patients with more information about financial support for travel and treatment.
Internal Stakeholders To inform cancer plan development, interviews were conducted with 13 internal stakeholders, including BBAHC physicians and Advanced Practice Practitioners, other clinical providers, service department managers, and personnel from ANMC’s Oncology department (e.g., patient navigator, social worker). The following themes emerged from these interviews. Themes STRENGTHS AND ASSETS Internal stakeholders cited three main factors as current assets and strengths essential to advance cancer control.
Model of Care: BBAHC’s model of care reflects cancer-related population and public health promotion priorities along with palliative and end-of-life care.
Leadership Support: BBAHC’s administrative and clinical leadership shares a commitment to addressing cancer.
End-of-Life Care: Community health aides are an integral asset to delivery of end-of-life care.
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