Abstract B028: Navigating change: Equal Hope’s response to Chicago’s Latine community needs

Abstract Introduction Cancer screening plays a critical role in early detection. Yet barriers such as lack of insurance and difficulties navigating the healthcare system often delay follow-up care after an abnormal result. Patient navigation has proven effective in addressing these gaps by guiding individuals through the healthcare system, ensuring adherence to follow-up recommendations, and improving health outcomes. In recent years, Chicago has also seen an increase in newly arrived individuals, many of whom lack health insurance and face additional barriers to care. Equal Hope enhances access to cancer screening for Cook, Lake, and in the future Will County through patient navigation. By addressing barriers such as transportation, scheduling, and language, we aim to reduce healthcare disparities. Since becoming a lead agency for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) in 2022, Equal Hope has increased outreach and service efforts. Lastly, Equal Hope's commitment to health equity is reflected by the growth in serving Spanish-speaking clients. Methods This retrospective analysis examines Equal Hope’s navigation data from January 2020 to May 2025. Key metrics include total number of scheduled procedures, client demographics (age, race/ethnicity, language, location), and program type to understand reach and effectiveness. Results Between 2020 and May 2025, 11,494 procedures were scheduled, with an overall attendance rate of 72%. Our data indicates a positive trend in engagement with attendance rates generally increasing from 78% in 2020 to 85% in 2023. This upward trend suggests the growth of our navigation services from 4 to 12 patient navigators (75% Bilingual) after becoming a lead agency for the IBCCP, with enrolled clients increasing from 2022 (10%) to 2023 (24%). Regarding our target population, 72% of clients fell within the critical screening age range of 40-64 years, and 73% were located within Chicago, demonstrating our strong local presence. Notably, the proportion of Hispanic/Latine clients served has shown a significant increase, growing from 31% in 2020 to 47% in 2024, that shows Equal Hope’s successful and growing focus on the Latine community. Discussion Our analysis demonstrates the significant impact of patient navigation in improving access to cancer and health services within the underserved Latine community in Chicago. Equal Hope effectively acts as a crucial bridge, helping individuals navigate systematic barriers to healthcare. The consistent increase in attendance, coupled with the growth in the percentage of Hispanic/Latine clients served, highlights the increasing need for our targeted and culturally sensitive outreach efforts. Our partnerships with the IBCCP further strengthen our capacity to address critical health equity issues within the communities we serve. These findings underscore the value of Equal Hope’s patient navigation impact among Chicago’s expanding Latine community and new arrivals. Citation Format: Gabriela A. Pena, Grace Kadubek, Maira Roman-Alvarez, Jiana Calixto, Paris Thomas, Sarah Lomahan. Navigating change: Equal Hope’s response to Chicago’s Latine community needs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B028.