Healthy Hmong Women:
“Linking to Health through Community
Health Workers”
Shannon Sparks, PI
Beth R. Peterman, Program Manager
Pang C. Vang, Project Coordinator
Mayhoua Moua, Lay Health Educators Coordinator
Lisa Phillips, Community Resource Specialist
Katarina Grande, Project Fellow
Goal:
Increase awareness of the cancer
disparity issues affecting the Hmong
community and share a promising
outreach and education strategy
Objectives:
1. Describe the rationale for cancer
despair work in the Hmong
community
2. Elaborate on Milwaukee Consortium
for Hmong Health (MCHH) community
health worker project
Healthy Hmong Women
Project background
Goal:
To increase rates of breast and cervical
cancer screening and reduce cancer
morbidity and mortality among
Milwaukee Hmong women through
development and implementation of
culturally‐appropriate lay health
education and peer navigation programs
Anecdotal Data
• Young Hmong women in Milwaukee are having
& dying of evasive cervical cancer
• A Milwaukee Hmong woman committing
suicide because of a diagnosis of cervical
cancer
• It is rare for Hmong women to survive cervical
cancer (myth)
• Chemotherapy lessened a woman’s survivor
rate for breast cancer (myth)
• No supportive Hmong cancer survivor service
RESULTS
Reason for NOT having a Pap test
n=99
Percent
Never heard of Pap smear
38%
No reason or never thought about it
24%
Did not know that I needed this test
12%
Never had any problems
9%
Other
16%
Focus Groups/Community
Discussions
• Belief in going to see doctor only when necessary.
o “I used to go to get exams when I was pregnant.
My youngest son is 16 years. So, that means I
have not gone in to see a doctor for 16 years.”
• Fear of doctors.
o “I don’t go in for exams because I fear knowing
the truth.”
o “My relatives and I are afraid of going in to see
the doctor. We don’t want to find out anything
negative, so it is better to not go unless we are
sick.”
• Lack of knowledge about importance of screening
• Time
Why choose community
health workers/lay health
educators model?
Healthy Hmong Women
The Community Health Workers
Healthy Hmong Women
Curriculum
• Session 1: Introduction to Community Health
Workers and cultural competency
• Session 2: Mental health and ethical issues
• Session 3: Communication skills, resources and
referrals
• Session 4: Breast Cancer Conference for
Community Health Workers
• Session 5: Breast and cervical cancer
• Session 6: Let’s practice! Teaching breast and
cervical cancer
• Post-training celebration
Healthy Hmong Women
Training Methods
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Many guest lecturers with content expertise
Interactive
Discussion-focused
Parts of training in English, parts in Hmong
Healthy Hmong Women
Outcomes
• Successes
o Outreach
• >5 events/conferences
o Group Sessions
• 66 participants
• 8 educational sessions
Healthy Hmong Women
Outcomes
• Outreach example: 2012 Hmong New
Year
o Outreached to >100 people
Healthy Hmong Women
Outcomes
• Website
o Project info
o Hmong
health
resources
o Link to
community
events
Milwaukee Consortium for
Hmong Health
Outcomes
• Reports
– Will be made available on website within this year
Healthy Hmong Women Project
Challenges
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Recruitment of survivors
High turnover rate of the CHWs
Case Management problems
Communication issues
The CHW Training requirement
Acknowledgments
* Funding for this project
was provided by the UW
School of Medicine and
Public Health from the
Wisconsin Partnership
Program.
Additional support are provided by the
• Collaborative Center for Health
Equity, UW-ICTR (CCHE)
• Wisconsin Wellwoman Program
Consortium Members
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ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
American Cancer Society
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division of Public
Health
City of Milwaukee Health Department Breast and Cervical Cancer
Awareness Program
Hmong American Women’s Association
Lee Medical Clinic
Southeast Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
United Healthcare Community Plan
UW-Madison, Department of Human Development & Family Studies
(HDFS)
UW-Milwaukee House of Peace Community Nursing Center
WI Dept of Health and Family Services
Yer M. Xiong, MD, MPH