Large numbers of women in segments of the population that are traditionally underserved by health services are not participating in breast cancer screening according to established guidelines. Moreover, community groups representing these women are not optimally involved by cancer concerned organizations in promoting breast cancer screening services among their constituents. Therefore, the University of Colorado Cancer Center proposes to hold The Colorado Summit: Breaking Down The Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening to significantly increase the number of community organizations who commit to add breast cancer screening to their agenda and implement specific actions to actively encourage screening among their constituents. Specifically, the Colorado Leadership Summit would provide community organizations with information on educational resources, breast cancer screening services that can be readily accessed by their constituents, and obtain community feedback on the accessibility and acceptability of existing resources. Participants would then be assisted in developing organizational specific plans for increasing cancer screening among their constituents and provided with a Technical Assistance Resource that would provide ongoing educational information and materials, speakers lists, and assistance to communities that are implementing breast cancer education and screening programs. Finally, the organizers of The Colorado Summit would follow up with participating organizations to determine the degree to which planned breast cancer screening activities have been implemented and their effectiveness.
