The Hope Light Foundation

WORKED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ASIAN HEALTH COALITION AND SIX ILLINOIS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS TO PROMOTE COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING BY HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH PATIENTS COMING TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR FLU SHOTS TO CONVINCE THEM TO TAKE HOME A FECAL IMMUNOCHEMICAL TEST (FIT) KIT, OBTAIN A STOOL SAMPLE AND RETURN FOR TESTING. OVER 2,000 INDIVIDUALS WERE SERVED IN THIS EFFORT. ALSO WORKED WITH THE ILLINOIS SOUTHERN SEVEN HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO IMPLEMENT A TALKING OVARIAN CANCER PROJECT (TOCP) THAT PROMOTED AWARENESS OF OVARIAN CANCER AMONG WOMEN IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND PROVIDED A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT INCLUDED OVARIAN CANCER AND GENETIC COUNSELING AND TESTING INFORMATION. UPON COMPLETION OF THE TOCP, HOPE LIGHT DEVELOPED A BEST PRACTICE THAT WILL BE USED TO EXPAND THE TOCP TO A ILLINOIS OVARIAN CANCER PARTNERSHIP FOR STATE-WIDE IMPLEMENTATION. HOPE LIGHT ALSO IMPLEMENTED THE MISSOURI OVARIAN CANCER COALITION (MOCC) TO COMMUNICATE OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS AMONG WOMEN IN RURAL MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED/LOW-SOCIOECONOMIC COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LACKING OB/GYN SPECIALISTS TO INCLUDE GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS THAT COULD HELP IN EARLY DETECTION OF THIS CANCER THAT HAS NO SCREENING TEST. HOPE LIGHT ALSO DEVELOPED A PILOT GENETIC COUNSELING AND TESTING PROGRAM MODEL FOR USE IN THE SOUTHERN SEVEN HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND ALSO FOR CONSIDERATION IN COUNTIES SERVED BY THE MOCC. UPON COMPLETION OF THE MOCC 12 MONTH PILOT PROGRAM, IT IS PLANNED TO BE EXPANDED THROUGHOUT MISSOURI ALONG WITH THE GENETIC TESTING AND COUNSELING PROGRAM. MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REACHED IN BOTH ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI AS A RESULT OF OUR TOCP AND MOCC MULTI-MEDIA OUTREACH PROGRAMS.