Relationship Model for Accessing and Assessing Underserved Communities

The greatest public health problem in the United States today is health disparities. The reason for these disparities is not just lack of access to health care; it is the inability to apply life-saving messages to various disenfranchised communities that often are disproportionately affected by disease. The Relationship Model for Accessing and Assessing Underserved Communities uses community leadership as an effective entry point into target communities. By accessing the communities through formal and informal community leaders, health department staff were able to build relationships while assessing awareness, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and perceived barriers to care through the Key-Informant Interview process.

The model was developed to improve the ability of the American Cancer Society (ACS), the organization with the lead role, to reach underserved communities in order to increase colorectal cancer screening.

By developing trusting relationships and sharing assessments with community leaders, staff were able to generate collaborations to increase access to colonoscopy, increase understanding of its importance to detecting cancer and; thus, increase colorectal screening among the people of this community.