The Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) promotes policies, programs, partnerships, and research to eliminate the unequal burden of cancer among racial and ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations in the United States and its associated territories.
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All Americans, particularly minorities, the medically underserved and cancer survivors must have facilitated access to the health care system. Care must include cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, mental health, and long-term care services. |
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Survivors, minorities and culturally diverse individuals must have major roles in developing health policies and programs intended for their communities. This will maximize the programs' cultural competence and effectiveness and will result in saved lives. |
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Health materials which are culturally appropriate must be developed and aggressively disseminated. New programs must promote educational efforts to counteract fatalism and overcome fears. Survivors' programs are needed to replace denial and ignorance with confidence and the knowledge of how to prevail over cancer. These are steps that will enable culturally diverse and medically underserved people to obtain health services to reduce cancer. |
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Much higher priority must be given to research and control programs on cancers disproportionately affecting minorities and the medically underserved. Research must focus on cancer disparities between population groups, as well as relevant risk factors. |
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More comprehensive epidemiological research to accurately document the scope of cancer in minority and medically underserved communities if we are to design effective interventions. |
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Diverse populations must be fully represented in clinical studies and research supported by public and private sector funds. This requires third-party coverage of patient care costs associated with these trials, including maximum cooperation from managed care systems. |
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Researchers from minority communities must be trained, developed and utilized at all research and research management levels. |
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Train and expect health care providers to be more sensitive and culturally competent in understanding the needs of minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged Americans. Individuals from racial, ethnic and culturally diverse groups must be involved in the design and delivery of cancer education and patient advocacy programs if they are to be successful in their target populations. |
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Preventive health education and medical benefits must be provided in a variety of health care settings. Health care delivery systems must be organized to reduce fragmentation of community services and increase efficiency of delivery. |
