A $30,000 NSW Government grant will fund cancer screening and prevention education to improve cancer outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in the Illawarra.
The Multicultural Community Screening Education and Healthy Living Illawarra project will deliver community education sessions on bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening as well as smoking cessation to the local Arabic, Italian, Macedonian and Burmese (Karenni and Karen speaking) community. A wellbeing expo with light physical activities and walking groups will also be delivered as part of the project.
Multicultural communities face significant barriers accessing cancer screening services and care, often due to language barriers, poor health literacy, trauma, and cultural stigma and beliefs.
The Cancer Institute NSW Multicultural Community Grants are awarded regularly to help support local community groups and health services to roll out targeted initiatives that will support people with multilingual information to reduce their cancer risk, in a way that is aligned with their cultural beliefs.
The grants are one of the ways the NSW Government through the Cancer Institute NSW is supporting CALD communities to improve cancer outcomes. Other initiatives include targeted cancer prevention campaigns, multilingual resources to build health literacy, training of bilingual community educators to deliver cancer education and provision of social support for people who have been diagnosed with cancer and carers affected by cancer.
For more information visit Cancer Screening and Prevention and Cancer Control (Multicultural) Grants.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister, Ryan Park:
"In NSW, around 30 per cent of people were born overseas, with one in four people speaking a
language other than English at home - higher than any other state or territory.
"Unfortunately, these communities have some of the lowest participation rates in cancer screening and can experience inequitable access to health care."
Quotes attributable to Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully:
"Language should not be a barrier to understanding your cancer risks or getting the best possible cancer care if you need it and this funding will help to change that.
"I have heard from and worked with too many families who had trouble negotiating the health system or understanding their health needs because of language barriers and this will help to break those barriers down.
"By supporting community-led education and wellbeing initiatives, we are supporting people from diverse backgrounds to take charge of their health and improve cancer outcomes across the Illawarra Shoalhaven."
Quotes attributable to Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive Cancer Institute NSW, Professor Tracey O'Brien AM:
"Breaking down barriers and supporting multicultural communities can't be achieved in isolation and we are so grateful to be working together with health services and community organisations to ensure all people across NSW, regardless of who they are or where they come from, have access to timely and culturally appropriate cancer care and support."
Quotes attributable to Chief Executive Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Margot Mains:
"These projects' educational sessions will focus on prevention, screening and early detection for bowel, breast and cervical cancer, including demonstrations on self-testing kits and providing translated information. There will also be sessions to support and encourage healthy lifestyles that focus on smoking cessation, physical activity and healthy eating."
