BME Forum joins £500,000 3-year project with cancer charity – Inside Croydon

Using over half a million pounds, Macmillan Cancer Support has joined Croydon BME Forum to form a three-year partnership to tackle health inequalities.

Activity Center: The wellness centre, run by Croydon’s BME Forum, will be a focus for work on health inequalities

The project is a response to the poorer cancer experiences and outcomes that people from ethnic minority and black communities continue to experience.

British Journal of Cancer found that black women have significantly lower breast cancer survival rates than white women. Other research shows that black men are two to three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than their white counterparts, have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer at a younger age, and that death rates are twice as big.

The ‘Can You C Me’ partnership team will build community networks in Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth to tackle barriers to health equality at grassroots level.

Saffron Shadbolt, Can You C Me Program Manager, said: “This groundbreaking collaboration between Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support is more than just a contract. It symbolizes a shared commitment to equity and progress.

“For far too long, people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds have faced disproportionate barriers to accessing quality health care and support systems, particularly for cancer.

“As part of this project, Macmillan Cancer Support is funding a team who will work with local communities to better understand the experiences of people with cancer from black and minority populations. And where there are inequities, take action to improve those experiences.

“This could include identifying people who need culturally sensitive cancer support delivered with compassion and understanding, upskilling local health and social care providers on the inequities faced by black and minority ethnic groups and how they can be addressed, or joining other community assets. to ensure fully personalized care and support.”

The project launch was held at the Croydon Wellness Center in the Whitgift Centre, where cancer experts, project staff and the public had the opportunity to find out more about Can You C Me.

“Macmillan is delighted to see the launch of this project, which has been a year in the making,” said Macmillan’s Robyn Jenkins. “Macmillan is ambitious to become a leader in equity, diversity and inclusion and to play our part in tackling health inequalities.

“To make this a reality, Macmillan needs to see, hear and understand communities experiencing health inequalities. Organizations such as Croydon BME Forum have the skills, expertise and local presence to support Macmillan in accessing vital insights and knowledge. This is how we can make positive and sustained change for the black community and other minority groups experiencing health inequalities in South West London. I can’t wait to see what this project will achieve over the next three years!”

In total, Macmillan is investing £573,000 in funding for this project.

For more information on Can You C Me? project or to contact the team, please visit: www.cbmeforum.org, email: [email protected], or call: 0208 680 3635 or 0208 684 3719.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a cancer diagnosis, visit the Macmillan website or call 0808 808 00 00.

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