Innovative Public Health Strategies for Reaching Women

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Innovative Public Health Strategies for Reaching
Women

• Julie Galstad, Health Educator
• Montana Breast Cervical Health Program (MBCHP)
• Department of Public Health Human Services

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• Background
• The Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality
  Prevention Act of 1990
• (PL-101-354) established a comprehensive,
  national screening
• program for low-income, minority, and underserved
  women.
• The Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program
  received
• comprehensive screening funds in September 1996
  from
• the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Montana Quick Facts
Resident population estimate, July
20051 935,670 Racial composition
20042 White 92.2 American Indian
7.4 Other 0.4 Unemployment,
20053 Statewide 3.5 Reservations
6.0 to 19.7
Montana National Median household Income,
20042 35,201 44,473 Per capita income,
20054 29,387 34,586 People in poverty,
20043 14.3 12.4 People without health
insurance coverage, 20042 17.9 15.5
1Montana Census and Economic Information Center,
http//www.ceic.commerce.state.mt.us/demographics.
asp 2US Census Bureau, http//www.factfinder.censu
s.gov 3Montana Department of Labor and Industry,
Research and Analysis Bureau 4Bureau of Economic
Analysis, US Department of Commerce,
http//www.bea.gov
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Montana Breast Cervical Health Program

• 13 multi-county administrative sites that
  contract with the state to implement the program
  in their area.
• State staff of six to administer and manage
  program.
• Reservation sub-contracts for American Indian
  Screening Initiative

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Target Population

• Women
• Age 50 64 for mammograms
• Age 35 64 for Pap tests
• Are uninsured or underinsured
• 200 of the Federal Poverty Level
• Approximately, 9,800 - 20,000 annual income,
  for a family size of one to four.
• Women 65 years of age and older who cannot pay
  the premium to enroll in Medicare Part B and meet
  the income eligibility criteria are eligible for
  services.

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How big is Montana ?
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Where are they?

• Determine in what part of the state the target
  population resides in
• Rural?
• Montana has 56 counties and 2/3 are frontier with
  1/3 rural (Frontier is defined as fewer than 6
  people per square mile)
• Largest city is Billings population 89,847
• Bozeman 27,509
• Butte 33,892
• Great Falls 56,690
• Helena 25,780
• Missoula 57,053

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How do I reach them?

• Consumer Health Profiles National Cancer
  Institute (NCI)
• Provides a combination of behavioral data and
  demographics with social marketing data
• Use state agreements to share information/lists
  of LI clients
• Personal experience
• Thinking outside of the box

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Successful Strategies

• Pharmacy prescription bags
• Product stickers/Provider Post-It notes
• Quilt Trunk show
• 11 outreach material distribution on doors
• 50 of referrals come from providers
• Statewide toll free number

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Toll Free Number Referrals
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Future Strategies

• Develop relationship with Montana Tavern
  Association
• Program info on cocktail napkins
• Develop relationship with casinos
• Table tents and posters
• Develop relationship with national manufacturer
  of tobacco products
• Product stickers on cigarettes

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Summary

• Be flexible, if one strategy does not work, try
  another
• Be prepared for failure, but dont let it slow
  down the ideas
• Have regular brainstorming sessions, with no
  restrictions on strategies
• Think outside of the box
• Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate!
• Be positive, enthusiastic and motivated