As the Official Cancer Center of the State of New Mexico and as a National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center (2P30CA118100-08), it is our mission and goal to improve the quality of cancer care in our region, to develop outreach programs throughout our State that lay a foundation for community-based participatory research, and, to increase awareness, access, and participation of all New Mexicans in NCI-sponsored cancer screening, prevention, and therapeutic trials. With the highest proportion of Hispanics and American Indians of any State (41% non-Hispanic White, 46% Hispanic, and 10% American Indian), many of New Mexico's almost 2.0 million people experience unusual cancer patterns and tremendous cancer health disparities. The State of New Mexico is ranked 43rd in the United States for per capita income. According to the 2011 Census Bureau 18.4% of New Mexicans live below the poverty level versus the national average of 13%. Over 50% of New Mexicans live in rural areas of the State with often limited access to healthcare and 22.9% of New Mexicans were uninsured in 2009, according to the New Mexico Department of Health with a range of 4.8% to 31.6% among the counties in our State. The UNM Cancer Center's Office of Community Partnerships and Health Disparities works with our New Mexico MBCCOP program to facilitate community partnerships and education programs in conjunction with community partners. The UNM Cancer Center has very active Hispanic/Latino and Native American outreach programs that provide education and services to New Mexico's minority populations.
Serving a vast geographic region of great beauty, with rich multicultural and multiethnic diversity, tremendous scientific opportunity, and challenging health and socioeconomic disparities, the NM MBCCOP is committed to making significant advances in cancer research and assuring access and participation in NCI-sponsored clinical trials to our regional communities. The special populations served by the NM MBCCOP - primarily Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and non- Hispanic White - have strikingly different patterns of cancer incidence, mortality, and cancer health disparities. The continuation of funding for this grant will allow the NM MBCCOP to continue to offer cancer clinical trials to the diverse cultures we serve.
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