A number of agencies are beginning to address the health crisis in minority and economically disadvantaged communities. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association are developing minority outreach programs. In addition, the American Cancer Society is now addressing the issue of cancer and the poor. However, what is becoming painfully obvious is that everybody is reinventing the wheel in their approach to minority health care issues. If these approaches are not coordinated, the number of health care messages and education programs rolling through minority and economically disadvantaged communities may stir up confusion instead of improving health patterns. Therefore, the objectives of the 3rd Symposium on Minorities, the Economically Disadvantaged and Cancer are: 1) To provide a forum for the effective exchange of ideas regarding strategic plans related to address the health care crisis, i.e., the cancer incidence and mortality rates, in minority and economically disadvantaged communities; 2) To increase the awareness of clinicians, researchers, and the lay public, especially the minority and economically disadvantaged communities, regarding the need for cancer awareness, and 3) To provide working models of effective programs which address the problem of health care, i.e. cancer, in minority and economically disadvantaged communities.
