Online training offers evidence-based guidance to community-focused health workers who support women in vulnerable populations, aiming to lower their risk of cervical cancer and HPV infection through preventive and early detection methods
Woburn, Mass., April. 3, 2020 – Talance, a trusted provider of curriculum development and training technology to the healthcare industry, has added a new online course to address disparities in cervical cancer rates based on socioeconomic factors. “Cervical Cancer and HPV” is ideal for community health workers, promotores, case managers, patient navigators, support staff, and volunteers.
This web-based course demonstrates ways women can lower their risk of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer through prevention and early detection. HPV infections can cause precancerous cell changes, resulting in cervical cancer. The course content includes symptoms, risk factors, screening tests, diagnosis, and treatment. It also covers screening guidelines and information about the HPV vaccine. Finally, course takers will identify barriers to care and ways to address those barriers.
“Social determinants of health make a big impact on cervical cancer screening,” says Monique Cuvelier, president of Talance, Inc., and CHWTraining. “People who live in rural areas and who come from a low socioeconomic background simply don’t get screened for cancer enough, and they don’t get the HPV vaccine that can really help. Our mission is to end that.”
In most Western countries, cervical cancer is highly preventable, thanks to the general availability of screening tests and a vaccine to prevent HPV infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), when cervical cancer is detected early, “it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life.”
In many areas, women cannot access HPV screening, which means cases are going undetected. Lower rates of preventive screening mean worse health outcomes in underserved populations. Cervical cancer has been called “a disease of poverty.” A CDC study conducted from 2011 to 2015 compared the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer in the poorest and most affluent counties in the state of Ohio. Results showed that the rate of cervical cancer incidence was almost twice as high for women living in the poorest counties compared to their affluent counterparts, and the mortality rate was more than twice as high.
The CHWTraining course “Cervical Cancer and HPV” will teach health workers the skills and knowledge needed to reach and educate at-risk populations in poor communities. At the end of the course, health workers will be able to help connect women in such underserved communities with prevention and early detection resources.
About CHWTraining
CHWTraining provides online training technology tools to organizations that want to transform health in America’s communities by carefully coaching their workers. It’s perfect for training new employees who need core competencies or standardizing training for existing staff—on their own time. The assessment-based certificates confirm that participants can demonstrate their knowledge.
About Talance
At Talance, we believe we all have a civic responsibility to help build healthy communities. Since 2000, we’ve collaborated with educators, advocates, health practitioners, governments, and employers to drive positive, lasting change in the environments where people live and work. Talance delivers community health education and technology that is trusted by clients across the nation, who rely on our expertise to create custom curricula or tap into our original course library that is developed by a professional team of industry leaders.
Interested in educating your team in Cervical Cancer and HPV? Contact us to learn more at www.chwtraining.org/contact.
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