HOUSTON — In 2007, the voters of Texas affirmed the establishment of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and the commitment to combat a common enemy. Seven years later that commitment remains and benefits are evident as $107 million in grants have recently been made to efforts ranging from nanotechnology for visualizing tumors during surgery to expanding The Rose’s mobile program to even more rural counties.
A total of 101 new grants were awarded in August — 2 grants through CPRIT’s product development program, 15 grants through its prevention program and 84 grants through its research program. The Rose was among the recipients addressing prevention and will now have $539,144 over 24 months to reach ten additional rural Texas counties.
“Studies show that rural Texas counties have a greater cancer burden than their urban counterparts. Due to access-to-care barriers, women who need a mammogram either can’t afford the cost or can’t afford the time away to travel the hundreds of miles it would take to get to a facility. And that’s IF there is a facility even within 100 miles,” explained Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose.
“As a result, Texas rural women are more likely to have breast cancers diagnosed at later, more invasive stages, and are more likely to die. With this CPRIT grant, we are helping those Texas women know that their lives are valuable. I’m grateful that Texas voters saw the need for CPRIT and that prevention funds are making their way to the people who need them.”
The Rose requested the funds to expand patient navigation and coordinated care to rural women living in ten medically underserved counties — Angelina, Brazos, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Nacogdoches, Orange, Robertson, Trinity and Walker.
CPRIT received nearly 600 grant applications, and after a rigorous review process, awarded grants to highly qualified cancer researchers, prevention initiatives and product development projects from institutions and organizations across the state.
The prevention awards, totaling $17.5 million, support a range of services for underserved populations in Texas. The projects receiving evidence-based grants will address increasing HPV vaccination rates, tobacco cessation in young adult smokers and increasing access to colorectal cancer screening. The projects receiving competitive continuation grants will provide screening, diagnostic and vaccination services for breast, cervical, colorectal and other cancers. Additional competitive continuation grants support public and professional education projects. Recipients include: Hope Clinic, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Texas A&M University, The Bridge Breast Network, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
TheRoseproject will target underserved women age 40 and over who have never had a mammogram or have not had a mammogram with the last two years. Two Program Managers will serve as community liaisons to provide a continuum of care by: 1) training collaborating partners on how to have successful mobile mammography screening events, 2) bridging gaps in breast health care by connecting community resources/providers to medically underserved women, and 3) reaching health care providers to perform clinical breast exams and to ensure the care continuum between providers for each patient, ideally near their hometown/community.
For more information on The Rose, visit www.TheRose.org. Details on further specifics related to CPRIT funding can be found at www.cprit.state.tx.us.
