Cervical Cancer Screening Program
In 2007, we took our partnership with the Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases in Nairobi, Kenya one step further. The Hope Center now treats 9,000 patients annually with funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) using the model that was initiated by our partnership with the University of Washington and the Coptic Hospital. It is now the largest free HIV/AIDS clinic in Kenya. However, as the Hope Center responded to the AIDS crisis in the community they realized that they were treating women for HIV only to have them succumb to Cervical Cancer, the leading cancer killer of women in the developing world. With the support of Bellingham investment firm, Saturna Capital, we were able to respond.
In 2006, two brave University of Washington medical students under the direction of our long time friend and partner Dr. Michael Chung M.D., MPH traveled to the Hope Center in Nairobi to research and implement what is now the Cervical Cancer Screening Program. They quickly discovered that the procedure for cervical cancer screening could be done inexpensively, easily and effectively from the existing infrastructure at the Hope Center. The most common procedures for cervical cancer screening are a pap smear or a visual inspection for cervical abnormalities. Over time, they incorporated both procedures to maximize accuracy and cost effectiveness.
The goal of the CCSP is to:
- educate all female patients about cervical cancer
- screen all willing patients
- provide access to treatment, if necessary
In the first year, they were able to screen 260 women, and since 2006 they have been able to screen 1,500 women.
The Hope Center’s cervical cancer screening program is one of the most innovative programs of its kind anywhere in the world. Few healthcare facilities in the developing world have so effectively coupled screening with treatment. For this reason, PEPFAR has taken a great interest in developing this model and replicating it in other similar clinics around the world.
We are excited to see what comes next.