With locations throughout the Portland-metro area, the Coalition of Slavic and Eastern European Organizations will use funding from the Community Partnership Program to continue their efforts to deliver colorectal cancer screening educational materials and workshops in Russian, Ukrainian, and other relevant languages. (Courtesy of the Coalition of Slavic and Eastern European Organizations)

The Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute has awarded funding to 10 organizations across Oregon to help address the most pressing cancer-related needs identified by each organization and people living in those communities.

Kerri Winters-Stone, Ph.D. (OHSU)

“At its core, the Community Partnership Program was designed to address the needs of people in Oregon,” says Kerri Winters-Stone, Ph.D., co-director of the Community Partnership Program and a professor of medicine (oncological sciences) in the OHSU School of Medicine. “We know people in Baker County may have different needs than people in Washington County. That’s why we let folks in the community identify what they need most. I’m most proud of that aspect of our program.”

Since its inception in 2014, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s Community Partnership Program has invested more than $8.2 million in 226 projects around Oregon, including the 10 organizations who received funding this round. Each funded organization will receive a grant ranging from $15,000 to $60,000 to address cancer-related needs across the cancer continuum, from education prevention, through survivorship.  

The program recently received a philanthropic gift of $1 million from Eric Lemelson to further its mission.

Jackie Shannon, Ph.D. (OHSU)

“Mr. Lemelson’s gift to the Community Partnership Program is deeply appreciated and is being put to work immediately,” said Jackie Shannon, Ph.D., co-director of the Community Partnership Program and associate director of community outreach and engagement at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. “He is passionate about funding projects in rural areas of Oregon and increasing access to cancer screening, and so are we.”

A cascading ‘waterfall’ of services

Waterfall Community Health Center has locations across Coos Bay and North Bend on the Southern Oregon Coast to promote access to quality integrated health services that meet the needs of individuals with barriers to care.

Their newly funded project aims to increase cancer prevention education and cancer screening rates in Coos County. The organization plans to leverage their mobile health unit team and coordinate direct-to-consumer tactics, such as mailing colorectal cancer screening fecal immunochemical tests, or FIT kits, to increase cancer screening in their community.

Lance Nelson, Waterfall Community Health Center’s chief executive officer, said the mobile health team provides fully integrated health care services for their community, and they look forward to adding cancer screening as a resource.  

“Patient education, primary care, health screenings, vaccines and social health efforts are just a few of the resources our amazing mobile team provides,” he says. “Waterfall is excited to hire a mobile health unit coordinator to strengthen community partnerships and increase utilization for cancer screening and prevention efforts. We appreciate the support from the Knight Cancer Institute to do so and believe this will be a significant benefit to our community!”

Screening for cancer in culturally relevant ways

The Coalition of Slavic and Eastern European Organizations aims to welcome, serve and empower refugees, immigrants and people across cultures and generations to reach their full potential. With locations across the Portland-metro area, the organization will use funding from the Community Partnership Program to continue establishing early colorectal cancer detection educational materials in the Slavic & Eastern European community.

“Working together as the Coalition of Slavic and Eastern European Organizations helps us serve communities more effectively, providing mutual support and exploring new possibilities,” said Nelli Salvador, director of Slavic & Eastern European Center at Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, or IRCO. “We are grateful for the Community Partnership Program funding to continue our efforts to deliver colorectal cancer screening educational materials and workshops in Russian, Ukrainian and other relevant languages.”

Importantly, Salvador notes their organization will provide “multilingual, trained community health workers to support Slavic and Eastern European patients navigating colorectal cancer screening in and around the Portland metro area.”

Funding projects across Oregon

Ten organizations received funding in this grant cycle, including:

• Ukrainian Foundation: Enhancing Cancer Awareness Among Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees.
• After the Bell Cancer Academy: Expanding Cancer Survivorship Programs.
• Thadd’s Place: Laying the Groundwork for Cancer-related Infusion Services in Eastern Oregon.  
• Center for African Health and Education: Building Bridges: Multigenerational Cancer Education and Healthcare Access for African Immigrants and Refugees.
• Chinese Friendship Association of Portland: Serology and Molecular Screening for Hepatitis Viruses (HBV/HCV) in the Chinese Community for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
• Waterfall Community Health Center: Increasing Cancer Prevention Education and Screening Rates in Coos County.    
• Slavic & Eastern European Coalition: Establishing Early Colorectal Cancer Detection and Prevention in the Slavic & Eastern European Community.
• Riding Beyond: Building Sustainability for Riding Beyond Services to Breast Cancer Patients.
• St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church: Community Cancer Awareness and Annual Healthy Living Symposium.
• La Clinica del Valle Family Health Care Center, Inc: Use of Self-Collected HPV Swabs for Cervical Cancer Screening.