Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity

April Is National Minority Health and Cancer Awareness Month

In April, Simmons Cancer Center recognizes National Minority Health Month and National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, April 17 – 23, as opportunities to highlight the cancer challenges faced by racial and ethnic minorities and promote actions to strengthen the health of our community members.

Cancer Doesn’t Affect Everyone Equally

As our friends at the American Cancer Society often say, cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. Below are just a few examples of the disparities – or differences – in the way cancer impacts certain racial and ethnic groups.

Why Are Racial and Ethnic Minorities at Risk?

There isn't one clear answer for why cancer affects some racial and ethnic groups more than others, but factors include:

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For more information on racial and ethnic cancer disparities in the U.S., check out the American Association for Cancer Research Cancer Disparities Progress Report.

How Is Simmons Cancer Center Addressing Disparities in DFW?

Our Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity works hand in hand with a diverse Community Advisory Board to raise cancer awareness, encourage minority participation in clinical trials, and promote potentially life-saving cancer screenings.

The Population Science and Cancer Control Program is testing ways to improve minority participation in clinical trials by using grant funds to cover transportation, child care, and other non-trial expenses for under-served populations.

Simmons’ Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth offers a wide range of cancer screenings to low-income, un-insured, and under-insured patients from rural and under-served North Texas counties.

To learn more, see Simmons Cancer Center’s Spring 2022 DFW Community Cancer Profile (English | Spanish).

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What Can You Do to Take Charge of Your Health?

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your community:

Commit to a healthy lifestyle.

Get the regular cancer screening tests your doctor recommends so you’ll find cancer early, when it’s easiest to treat.

Enroll in a clinical trial for cancer prevention or treatment and ensure that your community is represented in scientific discoveries.

Be the match for under-represented cancer patients in need of bone marrow.

Have a conversation with your loved ones about your family's cancer history.

Ask your doctor if genetic testing might be helpful for you and your family. Hear a Simmons genetic counselor explain the benefits:

CLICK HERE for a list of organizations that support minorities with cancer.

You're Invited: Community Events

FREE Mammograms – Fort Worth

Simmons' Moncrief Cancer Institute is offering free mammograms to women 40 and older without insurance. Call 800-405-7739 for more information on qualifications and to schedule your appointment for one of the following Saturdays.

Saturday, April 2, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dream Performance

6707 Meadowbrook Drive, Fort Worth 76112

Saturday, April 9, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., New Mount Rose Baptist Church

2864 Mississippi Avenue, Fort Worth 76104

Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Como Community Pop-Up Clinic

5704 Wellesley Avenue, Fort Worth 76107

PanCAN Purple Stride Walk – Saturday, April 30, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Klyde Warren Park, Dallas

Join Simmons Cancer Center at this year's PanCAN Purple Stride, a walk to end pancreatic cancer. We have a number of teams participating, including Watch Me Whipple (Division of Surgical Oncology) and Purple Beam Team (Department of Radiation Oncology). It's free to join. Come show your support!

UT Southwestern Science Café on Minority Cancer Disparities – April 28, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Zoom

Tune in as UT Southwestern experts discuss cancer’s impact on racial and ethnic minorities and share how we can support the best health possible for all community members. To register, contact OfficeofCOEE@UTSouthwestern.edu or 833-722-6237.

Visit the Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity to learn more about our mission to reduce the cancer burden in North Texas and promote equity in cancer prevention, care, and outcomes through research, education, and engagement, particularly for racially and ethnically diverse, rural, and other underserved communities.

See how you can join us!

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For newsletter questions or comments, email OfficeofCOEE@UTSouthwestern.edu.