Pages 168-173 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Preventive Oncology & Screening, North East Regional Cancer Program, Sudbury, Canada
Breast Disease Site Group, Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, Canada
Odette Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada
Source
Pages 168-173 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Objectives: Ontario's Aboriginal populations have a lower incidence of breast cancer, but their survival rate after diagnosis is poorer. In an attempt to improve the cancer experience for this population, a two-day work shop entitled "The Aboriginal Breast Cancer Care Workshop" was held in Toronto in April 2009.
Study design and methods: Participants included representatives from Aboriginal organizations, provincial and federal cancer and health agencies, funding organizations, community members and researchers. Presentations were selected to reflect the diversity of activities related to Aboriginal cancer care in Ontario. The final component of the workshop was an opportunity for participants to meet in one of four working groups to identify solutions for assisting Aboriginal women on the cancer continuum pathways: from screening to diagnosis, from diagnosis to treatment and from treatment to follow-up care.
Results and conclusions: The workshop recommendations were: to create resources for health care providers and health professionals ' curriculum about Aboriginal world views and traditions; to create tools to ease cross-health care facility and provider communication; to use new telemedicine technologies for cross-regional/provincial communication; to educate communities about breast cancer health care through local media, sharing circles and youth-driven activities; and to develop a system of collecting Aboriginal identity in the cancer registry/hospital and OHIP data.