Prostate Cancer Ambassadors for Caswell County – Project Update

Community and Economic Development – Blog by UNC School of Government

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Prostate Cancer Ambassadors for Caswell County – Project Update

By CED Guest Author

Published May 26, 2011

Anissa Vines is a professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a CCP small grant recipient working in Caswell County.

The Prostate Cancer Ambassadors for Caswell County Project had an eventful April!  The fifteen (15) Ambassadors, who completed two trainings at the start of the year, are currently in the process of conducting outreach activities with individuals, community groups, businesses, and churches.  A booster session was held on March 12, 2011 in order for the Ambassadors to gain more practice in relaying information about prostate cancer & overall prostate health to community members.  During the session, each Ambassador prepared a brief presentation to deliver to the group. Following each presentation, the Ambassadors provided constructive feedback to each individual.  All Ambassadors are now knowledgeable about this issue and have increased their confidence in presenting the material to members of the lay and faith community.

After being trained to provide basic information about prostate health, screening, and treatment, the Ambassadors have had success in reaching many members of the Caswell County community.  To date, the Ambassadors have reached over 400 individuals through their presentations, discussions, and displays at health fairs, churches places of business and other community venues.  The feedback from these sessions has been overwhelmingly positive, further enforcing that the Ambassadors’ work and the information they are providing is needed and well-accepted in the community.  We are so impressed with the work that the Ambassadors have done and their commitment to this project!

Starting in June, Ambassadors will begin the process of administering a health assessment survey to congregants at local churches in Caswell County.  The purpose of this survey is to identify those health issues that are most pertinent in the community, specifically with respect to cancer.  Additionally, with this survey we hope to gain knowledge about community members’ interests and thoughts about partnering to conduct community-based research, which will assist in the creation of future community-based health projects, ensuring that research efforts are appropriately addressing the identified needs of the community.  It has been such an honor to work with the Ambassadors and other Caswell County community members over these past few months. Our team looks forward to continuing these relationships going forward in the near future!