The California Consortium for Cancer Health Equity, led by USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and City of Hope, will host a full day hybrid symposium on February 15, 2024, to enhance collaboration throughout Southern California’s cancer provider networks and produce actionable outcomes to address barriers and improve access to cancer screenings, clinical trials and high-quality care for underserved patients throughout the region in 2024 and beyond.
Health care systems, including NCI-designated cancer centers and community-based providers, are expected to identify patients who have unmet social needs and provide support to address risk factors among patients. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-medical factors that contribute to disparities in cancer risk and outcomes. Ideally, screening for social determinants of cancer health disparities and the interventions that are used to address unmet needs should be completed using evidence-based approaches that are integrated into clinical workflows. SDOH screening should also focus on the needs and priorities among diverse stakeholders that include patients, community-based organizations, and public health groups.
Symposium topics will cover: (1) existing practices for SDOH screening at NCI-designated cancer centers and community-based organizations; (2) information about best practices and outcomes for SDOH screening and clinic- and community-based programs; and (3) identify opportunities to integrate data on SDOH into cancer clinical trials, basic science research, and cancer care delivery studies.