The Cancer Screening and Prevention Grant Program provides funding to organisations working in cancer, health and other related services, to undertake evidence-based projects that have the potential to be embedded in the health system and are sustainable past the funding period. The focus of these grants is community and service-centred initiatives and not research proposals.

• Jump to 2020 recipients

 

Grant recipients 2021

Title: Heathier You, Heathier Communities
Recipient: Metro Assist
T​arget programs: Healthy living and bowel screening

The project’s aim is to raise awareness of the importance of bowel cancer screening and to promote healthy living to a selected group of migrant communities within Metro Assist’s catchment areas – Inner West, Burwood, Strathfield and Canterbury Bankstown Local Government Areas (LGAs). This will be achieved by providing a series of community education sessions as well as a social media campaign based on available resources from the funding body and other health stakeholders.

Bowel screening activities will target those 45 and over in the Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian speaking communities. Healthy living activities will target those 30 and over in the Arabic, Chinese, Rohingya and Bengali speaking communities.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $17,600

 

Title: Strive Towards Change – Healthy Eating and Bowel Screening program
Recipient: South Western Sydney LHD (Multicultural Health Service)
T​arget programs: Healthy living and bowel screening

Through the project “Strive Towards Change – Healthy Living and Bowel Screening Program”, Multicultural Health Services at South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) will encourage participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program among people aged 48-74 in four language groups (Arabic, Assyrian, Macedonian and Vietnamese) through community education sessions and other related key activities.

The project will also promote healthy living amongst people aged 18 and over across the aforementioned communities (healthy eating, being active, drinking less, ceasing smoking, skin protection and maintaining a healthy weight).

Peer educators (Multicultural Health Officers and Bilingual Community Educators) will be trained to deliver face to face community education sessions. Additional strategies enhancing access will be employed to promote healthy eating and cancer screening such as using flipcharts and translated resources created by Cancer Institute of NSW and organising/attending community events.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $20,000

 

Title: Live Healthier - YES We Can
Recipient: Accessible Diversity Services Initiative Limited
T​arget programs: Healthy living

The project focuses on promoting healthy living for cancer prevention amongst people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Central Western Sydney and surrounding areas, who are 18 years and over. Specific language groups/communities that will be targeted include Dari, Arabic, Eritrean, Nepalese and Bengali/ South Asian.

Accessible Diversity Services Initiative Limited (ADSI) will support CALD communities by improving their health through different interventions such as educating them about healthy lifestyle, being active, doing exercise and behavioural changes to reduce the risk of cancer. The program will assist the attendees to increase their knowledge in using prevention methods taught to prevent getting the diseases. Sessions will be conducted through community education provided by ADSI bilingual workers who are trained by the Cancer Institute NSW to provide the information. The community education will utilise resources and translated materials developed by the Cancer Institute NSW to support people from CALD communities.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $9,258

 

Title: Healthy Living and Bowel Screening Programs – Macedonian community education
Recipient: Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD (Multicultural Health Service)
T​arget programs: Healthy living and bowel screening

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) Multicultural Health Service will deliver community education sessions to the local Macedonian community in Illawarra, including Wollongong and Shellharbour area, to improve their health and cancer outcomes and to increase the cancer screening rate.

People aged 48-74 from Macedonian background will be invited to participate in the bowel screening information sessions and activities. The focus will be on improving outcomes in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and survival for the local Macedonian community, demonstrations on how to use the bowel cancer screening self-testing kit at home and promoting the translated resources in screening for bowel cancer.

The project will also promote a healthy living program through a Wellness Expo promoting bowel cancer screening, and prevention activities such as physical activity, incorporating skin protection, relaxation techniques and mental health ‘walk and talk’ community events in the Illawarra region. For healthy living activities people aged 18 and over from Macedonian community will be invited to participate in social and physical activities.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $20,000

 

Title: Stay Healthy & Live Well
Recipient: Gymea Community Aid & Information Service
T​arget programs: Healthy living and bowel screening

Gymea Community Aid & Information Service (GCAIS) will engage a project facilitator to deliver a culturally tailored education program of information sessions and workshops on bowel screening & healthy living across Sutherland and St George regions in partnership with South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) and 3Bridges Community, to improve knowledge, attitudes and intentions to participate in cancer screening and healthy living choices.

Bowel screening education will target Chinese, Macedonian and Indian (Hindi, Gujrati and English speaking) community members aged 48-74 years whilst healthy living education will target newly arrived migrants and refugees from diverse backgrounds which may include Arabic, Nepali, Spanish & Chinese communities. An additional cohort the project will target is the Muslim Deaf Community whom are from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Bilingual health workers (from GCAIS, 3 Bridges and SESLHD) will facilitate health information sessions with assistance from interpreters where required.

Activities could also include follow up sessions on nutrition, exercise, use of smart apps and additional health promotion sessions as well as training and supporting community members to become cancer care /healthy living advocates.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $19,830

 

Title: Healthy living education sessions for the Coffs Harbour CALD Community
Recipient: Mid North Coast LHD (Refugee Health Service)
T​arget programs: Healthy living

The Coffs Harbour Refugee Health Clinic (at Mid North Coast Local Health District) will deliver face to face education sessions on healthy lifestyle topics to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community members aged 18 and over through the:

• Local TAFE where people from humanitarian refugee and CALD backgrounds attend ESL classes.
• Settlement Services International (SSI) program for newly arrived humanitarian refugees.
• Women's and men's groups organised by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS).

These sessions will be conducted by registered nurses and be supported by bilingual workers / interpreters utilising the Cancer Institute NSW resources. The project will target the main language groups (Burmese/Chin, Arabic, Kurdish - Kumanji).

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $15,000

 

Title: Healthy Living and Bowel Screening Programs – Multicultural community education
Recipient: Arab Council Australia
T​arget programs: Healthy living and bowel screening

The project, which will extend over 18 months, will include six (6) information sessions regarding bowel cancer screening to Arabic speaking background (ASB) people aged 48-74 that live in the Local Government Areas where Arab Council Australia (ACA) has established footprints (South, Western and South West Sydney).

As well as raising awareness of the importance of screening, the project will promote healthy lifestyle practices addressing issues such as healthy eating, regular exercise, and the dangers of smoking cigarettes and shisha.

These sessions will be supported by a social media campaign and incorporate flipcharts and other resources in English and Arabic developed by Cancer Institute NSW and the Australian Government Department of Health.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $15,000

 

Title: Speaking Your Language: Destigmatising and Simplifying Bowel Cancer Screening for CALD Communities
Recipient: Hunter New England LHD (Multicultural Health Service)
T​arget programs: Bowel screening

Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) Multicultural and Refugee Health Service will work collaboratively with specific culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to deliver targeted information on bowel cancer screening in language through community information sessions. These communities are from Macedonian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic and Italian speaking backgrounds. HNELHD will also work with colorectal surgeons to deliver sessions that outline the benefits of early screening in reducing the risk of bowel cancer.

The project will also promote existing ‘how to do the test’ videos featuring the bowel cancer screening kit in language for these specific communities.

Timeframe: Nov 2021 – April 2023
Funding: $15,000

  

Grant recipients 2020

Women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities are identified as a priority population for cervical and breast screening as they are less likely to participate in these screening programs. These women face various barriers that prevent them from getting screened. Cervical cancer can be prevented through regular cervical screening, and breast screening saves lives by detecting breast cancers early.

The Cancer Screening and Prevention Grants 2020 fund community organisations to use the Cancer Institute NSW flipchart resources to provide education, information and support to women in CALD communities to encourage and increase participation in breast and cervical screening programs. The projects target women within the age range for cervical screening (25-74 years) and/or breast screening (50-74 years) in communities identified as having low participation rates in those screening programs. The projects commenced in October 2020 and will run for 12 months. 

Candidates	Project title	Target population	Screening program	Total funding
Arab Council Australia	Screening and Linkages: Arab Women in NSW	Women of Arabic speaking backgrounds residing in Blacktown and Fairfield LGAs.	Breast Screening	$15,000.00
Boronia Multicultural Services	Screening for Wellbeing	Women in Afghan communities residing in Blacktown (for breast and cervical screening) and Cumberland LGA’s (cervical screening only).	Breast and cervical screening	$18,500.00
Cancer Council NSW	Building on strong community ties to increase breast and cervical screening participation	Chinese (focusing on breast and cervical screening) and Korean women (focusing on cervical screening only) residing in Blacktown LGA and Western Sydney LHD.	Breast and cervical screening	$19,744.21
Liverpool Women’s Health Centre	“Sahhatik” – Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening	Women from Arabic speaking backgrounds residing in Liverpool and Fairfield areas.	Breast and cervical screening	$20,000.00
Pink Sari Inc	Cervical Screening for Survival	Women of Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds residing in Western and South Western Sydney.	Cervical screening	$15,000.00
Vietnamese Community in Australia - NSW Chapter Inc.	New Journey for Greater Growth	Vietnamese women residing in South Western Sydney LGAs, particularly in Fairfield.	Breast and cervical screening	$16,671.12