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Persistent Poverty

Persistent poverty areas are defined as regions where 20% or more of the population has lived below the federal poverty line for the past 30 years. Both Huntsman Cancer Institute—a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center—and Montana State University are located in the Mountain West, an area that includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. These states encompass vast areas with rural and frontier populations, and communities that are far from a major medical center. In addition, Native Americans/American Indians are impacted by persistent poverty due to limited economic opportunity and access to health care resources. The Mountain West includes many other residents who are medically uninsured or underinsured. Individuals in these areas have higher cancer incidence rates, face delays in diagnosis and treatment, and are more likely to die from cancer compared to those not living in poverty. However, there is limited research on cancer outcomes in these areas. We aim to advance research to improve cancer prevention and control for these communities, with a special focus on studies designed to mitigate the impact of persistent poverty in the Mountain West.

Funding

Coordinated by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, the Persistent Poverty Initiative aims to alleviate the cumulative effects of persistent poverty on cancer outcomes by building research capacity, fostering cancer prevention research, and promoting community-based programs.

$50 million in funding was allocated to establish five Centers for Cancer Control Research in Persistent Poverty Areas, including HC2. HC2 addresses reducing tobacco use and promoting access to healthy food to prevent cancer.

Community Partners

Building relationships on:

  • Credibility
  • Trust
  • Respect
  • Reciprocity
  • Shared knowledge
  • Authenticity
  • Collaboration
  • Listening
  • Cultural humility
  • Values (including spirituality)
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HC2 community partners map

Specific Aims of HC2

  • Establish HC2 as a robust and sustainable cross-institutional center for cancer prevention research, focusing on areas and populations experiencing persistent poverty both regionally and nationally.
  • Promote and implement innovative, multi-sector, multi-level cancer prevention research programs in areas affected by persistent poverty.
  • Develop and support a network of cancer prevention researchers across institutions who integrate persistent poverty considerations into their work to better serve the region.
  • Build upon existing partnerships to expand and sustain the Health Network to Address Cancer Prevention in Areas of Persistent Poverty.
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“Relationships, Respect, Reciprocity.”

—Emily Salois, MSW, LCSW