GW Cancer Center Technical Assistance Portal: TAP into Comprehensive Cancer Control Resources!

Authors:

Mohammad Khalaf (Presenter)
The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center

Aubrey Villalobos, The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center
Kanako Kashima, The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center
Mandi Pratt-Chapman, The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center

Public Health Statement: Cancer and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death in the U.S. (Kung et al, 2008). Addressing a complex disease like cancer involves multi-stakeholder involvement, and technical assistance (TA) is vital to support a coordinated approach to cancer prevention and control.

Purpose: As a CDC-funded TA provider, GW Cancer Center conducts ongoing project evaluation and needs assessment through an annual survey to CCC professionals and one-on-one phone calls to guide the development of project activities.

Methods/Approach: A web-based survey link was disseminated via GW and CDC cancer control listservs. Data from the 2016 survey of CCC program and coalition staff are presented (n=36).

Results: Fifty-eight percent (n=21/36) of respondents reported using the TA Portal (TAP) and 100% of those found it useful or very useful (n=20/20).

Respondents indicated the need for additional TA in coalition functioning (55 responses), survivorship programs (n=17), evidence-based practices (n=14), patient navigation (n=10), communication planning (n=15), evaluation (n=15), and social media management (n=13). Respondents were most interested in receiving TA in survivorship (n=19), community-clinical linkages (n=17), vaccine preventable cancers (n=21), healthy equity (n=15) and policy, systems and environmental changes (n=15). GW will present existing CDC-funded TA that meets these needs plus planned TA over the next year.

Conclusions/Implications: Ongoing needs assessment and evaluation inform GW Cancer Center’s innovative TA activities and the dissemination of TA products through TAP. GW continues to work with partners to ensure TA efforts are coordinated and synergistic in meeting identified needs.