In 2021, Kris Newcomer and Pat Koppa founded the Breast Cancer Gaps Project. According to their website, their mission is “to save Black women’s lives from breast cancer through innovative, community-driven solutions. ”
Black women have a 41 percent higher mortality rate from breast cancer than white women. The project works to eliminate this gap.
On August 1, Monisha Washington became the director of the Gaps Project. “As Black women in multiple areas of health and wellness, we [are often] dismissed,” says Washington, who knows this through personal experience. She became a community health worker after caring for her mom.
As a young mom in her 20s, Washington’s mom noticed a lump in her breast while breastfeeding and reported it to her doctor. “They were telling her it was a cyst,” says Washington. “They were telling her it wasn’t cancer because she was too young.”
After her doctors dismissed her concerns for years, she was diagnosed in her early 30s. By that time, it had spread to her lymph nodes. At diagnosis she was at stage four, the highest stage.
“My mother is no longer here,” Washington says. “My mother was part of that 41%.”
This led Washington on her journey of spreading awareness. For 10 years she worked as a community health worker to support women with breast cancer and founded an organization called The LinC.
“I utilize community health workers to bridge the gap in care in the community,” she explains. While sharing her passion for the work, she met Newcomer and Koppa, which later culminated in her becoming the Gaps Project director.
With the input of Black women, the Gaps Project developed a prototype of what they wanted breast cancer health care to look like. They implemented this plan at the Brooklyn Park Clinic.
The initiative ran from November 2023 through January 2024. It included 15 awareness and educational videos featuring women from the community.
In the video “The Mammogram Screening Process,” a nurse practitioner walks through each step of the process. After being placed in their rooms, women viewed this video while waiting to see their doctor. Women could also access videos in their MyChart files.
According to the surveys women completed after watching the video, 75% reported learning something new, and 85% were willing to share the information with others. Women who watched the videos through MyChart were more likely to get a mammogram.
With the information gathered during their prototype, the Gaps Project threw a Mamo Party in partnership with Neighborhood HealthSource in March of this year. They were able to eliminate the barrier of transportation women faced by providing Ubers for participants.
It was held from 4 to 7 p.m., eliminating the barrier of taking time off from work. Neighborhood HealthSource provides services for those without insurance, eliminating the barrier of insurance. The women were also able to view the videos at the event.
Neighborhood Health Source uses community health workers. “That model of a community health worker is looking like the people you serve, speaking the same language,” says Washington. “There were translators there for people who didn’t speak [English].”
This worked to eliminate the barrier of fear women face when considering a mammogram. During the event, 15 women received mammograms and a $25 gift card.
On Saturday, September 28, from noon to 3 p.m., the Gaps Project will host the Live, Laugh, Learn event at the Metropolitan Ballroom in St. Louis Park. This event is in partnership with Sister Spokesman.
“We wanted to have something fun,” says Washington. “Bringing Black women together, but also [to] address the disparity.”
The event will feature a performance by Thomasina Petrus, free food, and a health panel. Health providers will be available to answer questions about screenings and mammograms.
Most importantly, the event will serve as a call to action. “We really want to address that existing gap,” says Washington. “Get your mammogram done sooner rather than later because we know if we get them done sooner, we survive.”
Visit the Breast Cancer Gap Project website at www.breastcancergaps.org for more information and to view its videos.
For more information on the Live, Laugh, Learn event, visit spokesman-recorder.com/sister-spokesman.