Neighbor Island, rural O‘ahu disparities in access to health care and support are among key issues at Health Equity Forum at UH Cancer Center

November 2, 2024

The difficulties that many rural O‘ahu and Neighbor Island residents report in gaining access to high-quality health care and support for their cancer journey was among key issues raised in a Health Equity Forum on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center.

2024 Health Equity Forum attendees

More than 70 people registered to attend the free forum focused on cancer survivorship, titled, “Don’t Be Left Behind: Moving Forward from Disparity to Equity,” held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the UH Cancer Center in Kaka‘ako. Participants heard presentations by local and national experts in cancer as well as personal reflections by cancer survivors. The CDC defines health equity as “the state where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” The UH Cancer Center, with support from Genentech and the Hawaiʻi Comprehensive Cancer Control Program of the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, hosted the forum to facilitate discussions among cancer survivors, caregivers and healthcare providers. Topics included geographic and biological differences in health outcomes, the financial burden of cancer, transitional care after cancer treatment, access to care and supportive services, and “difficult to discuss topics” such as intimacy, and caregiver burnout.

Susan Oshiro-Taogoshi
Susan Oshiro-Taogoshi,
beast cancer survivor and forum panelist

Cancer survivor Susan Oshiro-Taogoshi, a forum panelist, told the audience how she had to make 30 trips from Kaua‘i to O‘ahu to receive radiation therapy following her triple negative, stage-3 breast cancer diagnosis. In the days before Neighbor Island residents could obtain lodging assistance, “I had to pay for my air fare, my hotel stay here, airport parking, my wigs — everything else that I had came out of my pocket,” recalled Oshiro-Taogoshi, now a 15-year cancer survivor who is a community health worker coordinator on Kaua‘i.

Kā‘ohimanu Dang Akiona, MD, a family medicine researcher who owns an independent medical practice serving rural Hawaiʻi Island and Molokai, said during the forum that while she is proud of the advances made nationally in health equity, “I'm seeing more and more patients that are not able to get to the diagnostic point or the treatment point. I'm seeing a lot more specifically in different populations who are getting left behind.”

Keynote speaker Robert A. Winn, MD, said in response that he believes community-focused cancer centers like the UH Cancer Center and the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia, where Winn is director, will lead the way in the work of improving health care and survivorship for currently underserved populations, by paying careful attention to patients’ needs and forging strong community connections. “We’re figuring out not only how we can treat patients, but how we can make sure that the people can get access to the best (health) interventions in neighborhoods that are hard to reach,” Winn said.

After the presentations, attendees joined breakout sessions to continue the discussions and provide feedback and suggestions for solutions.

“Health disparities in our islands impact cancer survival. Our goal for this meeting was to find solutions to mitigate these challenges by talking with people who have successfully faced these types of issues,” said Kevin Cassel, associate director of community outreach and engagement for the UH Cancer Center. “We are especially grateful to our attendees who shared from their hearts about their professional and personal journeys. Their feedback collected at our Health Equity Forum will help to inform planning for future initiatives by the UH Cancer Center and other support organizations.”