Located two miles north of Boston, Chelsea has a large immigrant population and poverty levels that are more than twice the statewide average. The Mass General Chelsea Cervical Health Outreach Program is a collaborative initiative designed to increase rates of follow-up for women, particularly Latina, who have had abnormal pap smears, with the goal of preventing cervical cancer.
Its team includes staff from the Cancer Center, Mass General Chelsea HealthCare Center, the Cancer Center’s Colposcopy Clinic, Mass General Community Health Associates and Partners Community Benefit Programs. They support medically underserved primary care patients from Chelsea who require colposcopy and other follow-up care and treatment. The program provides these patients with navigation services that enable them to access the care they need. Team members help patients coordinate appointments and monitor their compliance with tests, treatments and follow-up visits. Since its inception in April 2004, the program has served 431 patients — more than 70 percent of whom are Latina and primarily speak a language other than English.
