Cal State L.A. Partners in Launch of New Cancer Screening Program


The Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology at California State University, Los Angeles—in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. (NACHC) and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—recently launched a program called “Cada Paso Cuenta…Every Step Counts.”

In an effort to spread the message of the importance of early cancer detection, the “Cada Paso Cuenta” program assists community, migrant, and homeless health centers in encouraging more Spanish-speaking women to get early breast and cervical cancer screenings that can save lives.

The program utilizes a range of resources to reach out to the Hispanic population: a Spanish-language media campaign, piloting training manuals for health centers to effectively reach out to Hispanic women and teach the importance of early screenings, breast self-examinations, and mammograms.

As part of the partnership, the Roybal Institute at Cal State L.A. is helping to gather research data to assist centers with developing better methods of targeting medically underserved populations.

According to NACHC, even though “the rate of breast cancer among Hispanic/Latina women is lower than White and African-American women, life-saving early detection diagnoses will likely elude them because of barriers, such as language, lack of health insurance or little to no access to basic health care services.”

Studies show that early detection of breast cancer saves lives. It is indicated that timely mammograms for women aged 40 or older could prevent 15 to 30 percent of all deaths from breast cancer.

Through this new program, women can call a Spanish hotline to speak directly with a bilingual counselor and locate a health center that offers mammogram or breast examinations. The hotline number is 1-800-986-9505.

The Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology, housed in Cal State L.A.'s College of Health and Human Services, was established in 1993. The Institute’s purpose is to improve the quality of care and delivery of services to older persons through the interdisciplinary education and training of professionals, paraprofessionals, family members, community agency personnel, and volunteers. The Institute emphasizes development and promotion of programs to serve culturally diverse groups. It works to develop partnerships between the University and the community that promote the well-being of older adults and to establish scholarships for students planning to enter health and human service careers with a specialization in aging.
For more information on the Institute and its role in this partnership program, call the Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology at (323) 343-4724.

MEDIA CONTACT: Margie Yu, Public Affairs Specialist (323) 343-3047