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Fall 2008 |
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Online Only
H
E A L T H P R O M O T I O N
See your risks
more clearly and change the face of cervical cancer
Pap Test
Awareness Week - Oct 19-25
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Pap Test Awareness Week -
October 19 to 25 features a campaign with a variety of new resources and
strategies to raise awareness on the benefits of Pap testing, while
encouraging more women to attend screening.
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Submitted Article |
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The Cervical Screening Initiatives
Program will be celebrating Pap Test Awareness Week from October 19
to 25. This campaign promises to be an exciting one with a variety
of new resources and strategies to raise awareness on the benefits
of Pap testing, while encouraging more women to attend screening.
The awareness week will launch a major
initiative focusing on secondary and post-secondary students in the
province. The program is eager to partner with the education system to
increase the knowledge base of upper age female students on the
importance of Pap testing and the factors that increase the risk of
developing cervical cancer. The goal of this strategy is to give young
women the information they need to make informed decisions and to begin
incorporating Pap testing as a healthy life style practice at an early
age. What better way to reach the majority of young women in
Newfoundland and Labrador, then through the school system?
The past year has seen tremendous success
with the offering of access to service grants by the program. Many
service providers in the province availed of this funding to enhance
their existing screening practice or utilized monies to try something
more innovative to reach unscreened and under screened women in their
communities. Anyone wishing information on past projects, ongoing or new
initiatives can contact the provincial cervical screening initiatives
office.
To be successful in our goal to eradicate
cervical cancer the program must work together with all partners in the
province. During our fall campaign physicians in the province will
receive a package of promotional materials. These materials are intended
to promote the importance of Pap testing and to aid as a prompt for both
patient and physician.
There are many ways to spread the message
of Pap testing but studies show the most successful recruitment strategy
for getting a woman in for screening is the “physician prompt”. During
the upcoming fall and winter the program will be discussing the
opportunity of piloting different strategies to recruit women who are
three or more years since last screen. We will need physician
participation and input to implement this pilot, which will attempt to
isolate the most efficient ways to reach these under screened women.
Lori Harnett, provincial health educator
with the Cervical Screening Initiatives Program, said she is very
excited that the program has expanded to all regions of the province.
This will help us work more closely with our partners in each region as
screening rates in each of the regions are very low. “The program will
partner with health care providers and community partners to assist us
in raising awareness on the importance of regular Pap testing and to
increase opportunities for women to access screening,” said Harnett.
“These strategies fit nicely with the theme for this year’s campaign,
see your risks more clearly and help us change the face of cervical
cancer.”
Lori Harnett,
provincial health educator with the
Cervical Screening Initiatives Program, can be reached at (866)
643-8719.
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