Abstract A127: Enhancing partnerships to address cancer screening disparities: community engagement strategies in a colorectal cancer screening navigation trial

Abstract Intro While researchers are expected to address study participants’ social determinants of health (SDOH), little to no empirical work is dedicated to the science of how to advance partnerships to redress health disparities. The aims of the study are to describe engagement methods to recruit community based organizations (CBOs) in a clinical trial designed to test the navigation of patients through colorectal cancer (CRC) screening while also creating linkages to help address patients’ SDOH. Methods Federally qualified health center (FQHC) staff invited CBO representatives to participate in the trial’s formative assessment components, food box provision, and/or delivery of CRC screening education. This engagement relied on relationships built through the team’s facilitation of a community coalition- a network that already existed in the FQHC. Study records were reviewed to enumerate and tally engagement approaches over the course of the study’s first 2 years. Results Seven CBOs provided a letter with the grant’s submission: 4 CBOs expressed interest in participating in an advisory board; 2 CBOs committed to providing a food box to patients identified with food insecurity; and 1 CBO committed to delivering community CRC screening education. Of the 7 CBOs, 6 completed a key informant interview; 2 provided zip-code level expertise to define study neighborhoods; and 2 developed formal agreements to provide food boxes to intervention participants. There was a change in leadership with 4 of the 7 CBOs, which likely explains the missing interview. Of the 2 partners that committed to food box provision, at the time of implementation- 1 of these no longer had a food pantry function as the CBO had taken this role on during the COVID pandemic’s peak. A neighboring site, however, continues to provide this service and has stepped in to provide food boxes for the study. Similarly, the CBO that had committed to providing community CRC education no longer has capacity to do so and a new partner was engaged to deliver this health education. At the end of grant year 1, to identify additional CBOs that could supply food boxes in other study neighborhoods, staff emailed 2 CBOs that were recommended during interviews, however, we received no response. Half-way through grant year 2, staff reengaged the dedicated CBO engagement team and requested additional e-introduction to new CBO partners that could address patients’ SDOH in these other study neighborhoods. Six CBOs have been approached with 1 interview completed to date. One of these year 2 CBOs provided zip-code level expertise to the study’s analytical team while another CBO is developing a formal agreement to provide food boxes in the other study areas. Conclusions Having a group dedicated to CBO engagement has allowed the research team to conduct outreach and partner with CBOs to co-deliver the intervention to address patients’ SDOH. Additional work is needed to consider the transitions in CBOs which impact initial commitments and timeline in order to anticipate and address these challenges early in a study. Citation Format: Anne Escaron, Joanna Garcia, Adriana Aranda, Jacqueline Macias-Sandoval, Dina Cruz Quintanilla, Crystal Gomez, Elva Arredondo, Gloria Coronado. Enhancing partnerships to address cancer screening disparities: community engagement strategies in a colorectal cancer screening navigation trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A127.