Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Cervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers and can, in many case, be prevented by early vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Even so, more than 12,000 women in the United States are still diagnosed with the disease each year. And like many cancers, cervical cancer has a disproportionate impact on minority communities, particularly Black and Latina Americans.

It is up to those of us working in health promotion to ensure that the proven effective methods of preventing cervical cancer through screening and vaccination are used as widely as possible. That’s why the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research is working with partners throughout Texas and beyond to encourage early HPV vaccination and routine screenings.

You can learn more about some of our cervical cancer prevention efforts below. We will be featuring new projects on this page regularly throughout the month. 

To learn more about their educational programs, visit the Outreach Program webpage and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, contact Ileska Valencia at ileska.m.valenciatorres@uth.tmc.edu.

All For Them

All for Them, an initiative run by UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, provides free mobile vaccination clinics at middle and high schools in six districts across the state: Aldine ISD, Crowley ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Goose Creek CISD, Houston ISD, and Spring ISD. At the clinics, which are pre-consented so parents do not have to attend if they are busy, students can obtain all childhood and adolescent vaccines, including the HPV vaccine, which protects against six types of cancer. 

Since 2017, 5,625 students have received at least one vaccine during the 241 clinics that the All for Them team has coordinated and implemented. Of those students, 3,828 received the HPV vaccine. Most of the students who did not receive the HPV vaccine were already up to date on the series, not yet due for the next dose at the time of the clinic, or not eligible for the vaccine. 

Education is also a fundamental part of All for Them’s mission to help families protect their students’ health both now and in the future. The team estimates that it has distributed more than 155,000 HPV vaccine fact sheets to parents and students to date. Additionally, by attending 233 health fairs, back-to-school events, information sessions, and other gatherings, the All for Them has directly engaged with more than 13,500 parents and students. 

All for Them is funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Learn more about All for Them at AllForThemVaccines.com. Follow the project on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Healthcare clinics work every day to improve breast and cervical cancer screening rates among their patient populations; your work is vital. During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and every day, it is our sincere hope that health systems will opt to take advantage of SEMM-DIA and invest in your front-line staff. This program will strengthen your workforce with the skills and resources necessary to reach your patients and improve breast and cervical cancer screening & HPV vaccination rates in your clinic systems. 

If you and your clinic's leadership team would like to schedule a time to meet the research team, please get in touch with: Project Coordinator, Angelita Alaniz, MPH (Angelita.Alaniz@uth.tmc.edu), and Clinic Relationships Manager, Damita Hines (Damita.L.Hines@uth.tmc.edu). CHPPR would like to sincerely thank you and your health system for providing breast and cervical cancer services to women in Texas. We appreciate your considering SEMM-DIA participation.