January 1998
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Sharing a Health Message, Woman to Woman Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, excluding cancer of the skin. In 1997, 180,200 new cases of breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed, and 43,900 women were expected to die of this disease in the United States alone.
UMass Boston has been involved in a 2-year project with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Service Employees International, and 26 other worksites to develop and test a model for breast and cervical cancer education intended to enhance employee health.
The Woman to Woman project has provided early detection information to employees in a variety of ways. Eight peer health advisors, trained at the Dana Farber Institute, are available to discuss early prevention strategies at informal "lunch and learn" meetings and coffee breaks. They are also available by appointment for private discussions.
Becky Hsu, director of payroll and data management in the Department of Human Resources, had never done this kind of outreach before. As a peer advisor since April of 1997, she has met with approximately 20 women to provide information or discuss their health concerns. "I think it is very important for women to learn more about early detection, and take it seriously. I became involved because I thought it was a meaningful task to help women, and Asian women in particular," she says.
The other peer advisors are Charlotte Herring, Debra Wein, Kathleen Potter, Irene Ryan, Lisa Williams, Anne Riley, Martha Kelly, and Rosalina Guity-Joseph.
Although our 2-year association with Dana Farber Cancer Institute ended in December, UMass Boston will continue the program. For information, contact a peer health advisor directly.