Cancer is the second leading cause of death in New York City, killing approximately 13,000 New Yorkers every year.
Reducing Disparities in Breast Cancer
Disparities in mortality from breast cancer persist in New York City -- while the highest incidence of breast cancer occurs among the most affluent New Yorkers, the highest mortality occurs among the City’s poorest. In addition, a significantly smaller portion of black women with breast cancer are diagnosed at early stages compared to women of other races/ethnicities. The issue is also compounded by geography - women in New York City are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer early compared to their counterparts nationwide.
To address these disparities, the NYC Health Department convened the Breast Cancer Disparities Roundtable in 2008, a coalition consisting of 40 thought leaders among practitioners, administrators, academics, and advocacy groups to develop innovative strategies to eliminate inequities in breast cancer care. Since then, the Roundtable has identified multiple factors that perpetuate breast cancer disparities and has developed a list of recommendations to address this trend.
Grant funding was received from the Avon Foundation for Women to conduct a research project to gain a better understanding of delays and barriers to timely care – a factor literature suggests is a key contributor to mortality disparities. Findings from this study may pinpoint which points of care present delays and inform important policy and system recommendations that will save lives. This project will also launch a policy initiative that aims to mobilize stakeholders and advance policies to improve access to and quality of care.