Castle Project
[projekktor id=’10552′]
It could be cultural differences. It could be a language barrier. Or it could simply be fear. but researchers know residents in various neighbourhoods across Hamilton, Niagara, Brant and Haldimand Norfolk are skipping cancer screening opportunities. The results have been deadly. However, a program funded by Canada’s public health agency hopes to change that.
For most of us, cancer screening is a known rite of passage by age 50. But for others, it’s not even on the radar.
Olive Wahoush is with Castle Project: “There are pockets of our population where very few people go for cancer testing or cancer screening. And the problem is the later the diagnosis, the more difficult it is to treat successfully.”
Reaching these communities is a goal for Olive. She’s part of Castle — Creating Access to Screening and Training in the Living Environment: “We have the freedom to look at building new strategies, new approaches from the neighbourhood up.”
Standard screening campaigns have fallen flat among the region’s aboriginal communities. One of 6 under the watchful eye of Castle. But having community members, leaders encourage and educate is making a difference. Jordan Carrier lives in the community. She works as it’s Community Health Broker: “There were senior programs here at the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre. There’s programs at the Aboriginal Health Centre or where ever people were gathering I was there. And I was building relationships within the community.”
A poster campaign also builds on existing relationships and trust. These faces aren’t actors. They live in the Castle communities. David Derbyshire is a Community Leader: “It’s a face that people recognize. And again it’s that relationship. If David is saying cancer testing is important, maybe I should do it.”
Castle is still in it’s infancy. Barely running two years. Still too early for concrete results. But there’s hope. David said: “There’s been a real lack of understanding about the importance of cancer screening. And unfortunately in the last 11-years we’ve lost so many people. So many young people. If they had been tested early, who knows.”
The Castle project works in communities across Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton and Brant as well as the Francophone and aboriginal communities. Their contact information can be found at the website: www.castlenow.ca
