The El Paso County External Agency for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) granted The Cancer and Chronic Disease Consortium 993K aimed to combat the public health and economic impacts of COVID 19. The program Hagamos Algo Ahore HAGAA is an evidence based program designed to reduce the burden of breast and cervical cancer (BCCS) in El Paso County. The suspension of screening services due to the COVID pandemic led some women to postponing their screening for over a 3 year interval. Although, there are free tests for BCCS preventative screening that can prevent these cancers and improve survival, women are not getting screened, particularly women from minority groups, those with low income and those without health insurance.
HAGAA will address key barriers to BCC screening, diagnostics, and treatment prevalent in our community. The projects target group is uninsured or underinsured predominantly Hispanic women that are 3 or more years overdue for Pap test women 18 to 64 years old and mammograms for women 40 to 64 years of age.