UAB: Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Deep South Network for Cancer Control utilizes a Community Health Advisors model in its work to reduce cancer health disparity through cancer awareness and screening.  This has been an effective model in these rural, impoverished, and underserved communities because of the use of “trusted individuals from the communities as deliverers of cancer messages.

DSN is comprised of over 556 Community Health Advisors trained as Research Partners (CHARPs) who have joined forces with more than 315 well-established and diverse community network partners (CNPs) that represent universities, state health departments, faith-based institutions, grassroots agencies, and lay community organizations.

What is the Community Health Advisor model?

The Community Health Advisor (CHA) model is utilized to train women and men who are “natural helpers” to provide cancer awareness and early detection messages and resources to their communities.  The CHAs are further trained as research partners (CHARPs) to develop, implement, and evaluate a multi-level participatory research and education program that focuses on systems, agents of change and individuals in order to reduce cancer health disparities.