Advancing health equity for underserved and priority populations: CANO/ACIO and Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) Joint Symposium

Abstract

Advancing health equity is imperative to reducing the current social and health inequities that impact those at risk of or diagnosed with cancer. The CANO/ACIO National Underserved and Priority Population (UPP) Working Group and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) partnered to create a forum for dialogue at a joint symposium during the 35th Annual Conference. The symposium began with a presentation of findings from a CCS-led nationwide project that focused on advancing equity for 10 underserved communities or groups. The aim of the CCS project was to understand gaps, barriers and challenges that underserved communities face in accessing information, support and care; the report is foundational to guide engagement efforts and strategies for key underserved groups across Canada. To situate the goals of advancing health equity, oncology nurses shared experiences of community engagement, partnerships and tools used in practice. This paper will provide a synthesis of the CCS report along with panel members’ experience on ways in which healthy equity was advanced in their communities and settings.

Keywords: health equity, underserved, priority populations, symposium, community engagement, cancer information, cancer support