Abstract

Breast cancer screening (BCS) rates are below the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) baseline target of 75th percentile in Central Valley (California). Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosis for women in the United States and late-stage diagnoses can cause difficulties in providing correct treatment. Rural communities face a clear disadvantage of care in comparison to non-rural areas. Women who reside in rural areas experience three main obstacles to health care access: entry, structural and cultural barriers. The proposed research problem is identifying the barriers towards the low performing BCS rates in the rural population of Adventist Health Clinic in Kerman, CA. This is a cross-sectional study using a survey for obtaining qualitative data on identifying two barriers contributing to the low breast cancer screening rates in Fresno County. EMR records were accessed to identity women who had not completed mammograms for 2021. The survey developed was not tested for liability and validity. The survey type is exploratory and was conducted via phone with structured questions. The targeted population in this study were women aged from 50-74 that were patients at the Adventist Health Clinic in Kerman. Out of 20 women called, 11 women were surveyed in which 7 were Caucasian and 4 were Hispanic. The responses for the women who did not receive their mammograms are varied; however, 2 of the 6 responses did conclude issues with insurance as being one of the causes for not receiving screening. Even with a small sample size, findings from the survey responses suggest that health literacy (n=2) and financial strain (n=3) due to insurance status are the two barriers that prevent women from receiving their breast cancer screening.