Across Illinois, we continue to see significant disparities based on ethnicity/race, income, sexual orientation or gender identity, and geographical location, to name a few, when examining not only the rates of cancer but also access to care, mortality, and many other aspects of cancer care. Join ACS CAN for a discussion on how we can work together to address health inequities in Illinois through comprehensive policy solutions and targeted advocacy initiatives that will help bring us closer to achieving health equity in cancer care.
Discussion Points
Access. Successfully fighting cancer depends on access to timely, high-quality, affordable health
care coverage and treatment.
What policy solutions are available to us in Illinois that will help reduce
these disparities in access? How can we further reduce obstacles to accessing health care services?
Prevention. Early detection of cancer through screening reduces mortality from colorectal, breast,
cervical, and lung cancers. However, access to these potentially lifesaving screenings is inequitable,
creating significant disparities in cancer outcomes. How do health outcomes compare across groups,
and what factors contribute to these differences? What barriers to screenings exist in Illinois, and how
can we reduce these barriers in different communities?
Research. Research is critical to understanding and reducing cancer disparities, as well as examining
gaps in cancer prevention and care delivery that contribute to these disparities. Who is missing from
clinical trials, and what can we do to help ensure clinical trial participants accurately reflect the
cancer population in Illinois?
