Restoring cancer screening and improving equity: A post-COVID community-based initiative (2021–2025).

276 Background: During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant decrease in cancer screening was observed. Cancer screening and prevention are critical initiatives to address community needs and are required by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (COC) Standards. The cancer center leadership of our academic medical center launched an education and screening initiative to reduce disparities in prevention and early detection. Methods: A multidisciplinary team evaluated cancer screening rates across 11 system-affiliated primary care practices. The data was stratified by race, language, and zip code. Clinics with low screening rates, diverse populations, and high volumes were prioritized. Over the five years of the initiative, multiple cycles of Plan-Do-Study-Act were implemented to continuously improve the program. Patient outreach included portal messages, multilingual texts, and educational materials across the healthcare network. Results: The program spanned two medical centers and five community clinics over the four years. Between 2021 and 2025, the initiative engaged over 350 patients through community events, with 75% requesting follow-up screening information. Nurse navigators supported patients seeking screening procedures. One patient re-established primacy care and screening at a community center after being lost to follow-up due to losing commercial insurance. Conclusions: Since the launch of this initiative in 2021, cancer screening efforts for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers have shown meaningful progress, particularly among Latinx and limited English proficiency populations. The program now includes on-site activities at two hospitals, with plans to expand to four additional sites by 2026. We continue to enhance patient education and community-based support to advance equity in cancer prevention and reduce barriers to care across underserved populations. Year / Screening Focus Plan / Do 2021 Colon Separate provider and patient education webinars; Provider event focused on Cancer Genetics and patient event on nutrition with cooking demonstration. 2022 Lung Use of Health Equity Dashboard to guide efforts; Development of patient education video of screening test to dispel myths. 2023 Cervical Addition of walk-in clinic for screening at community site. 2024 Colon Addition of Spanish in-person education event and navigator follow-up for screening appointments. 2025 Cervical Focused outreach to LGBTQ+ pts with gender affirming screening options.