1. Administration


2. Data and Evaluation


3. Outreach and Service


4. Policy


5. Research


6. Training and Education

Activities

1. Fiscal & Grants management of SAICN
2. Steering Committee (Annual meetings)
3. Community Advisory Committee (Bi-annual meetings)
4. Primary Partners (Monthly meetings)
5. SAICN Cores (Quarterly meetings)
6. Telemedicine system

Purpose

Providing access to the best available data will foster better-informed and culturally-sensitive responses to the challenges of clinical and research needs of AI communities.

Membership

The Membership shall be comprised of individuals who are experienced in data collection and analysis and data systems affecting American Indian communities.

Members be identified by the members of the Data and Evaluation Core (DEC) group, the SAICN Community Advisory Board or the SAICN Steering Committee or recommended by a Tribal program.

The duration of the membership will last for the life of the SAICN project. However, this applies to all active DEC members.

Every year, the membership list will be reviewed and revised based on members’ participation.

Meetings

The Data and Evaluation Core (DEC) will convene meetings quarterly Special meetings may be called to address special concerns.

The agenda will include a list of current cancer data related topics identified by DEC members, a business session, and a strategic planning session.

Notice of meetings will occur a month prior to meetings and notes of all meeting activities will be distributed to the DEC members within two weeks following the meeting for their review. Any corrections to the meeting summary may be done at or any time before the next scheduled meeting.

Activities

1. Cancer Care Assessment
2. Matrix for Prioritizing Interventions & Research to Address American Indian Cancer Disparities

Purpose

The Outreach and Service Core of the Southwest American Indian Collaborative Network (SAICN) is to develop a multi-disciplinary workgroup of expertise in designing a comprehensive outreach and service plan that is seamless for American Indians affected by cancer. This plan may include public and professional education, clinical trial recruitment, support services; developments of an American Indian patient navigation system, cancer care assessment tool, and Standards of Care for Oncology Services.

Membership

The membership shall be comprised of community members, cancer survivors, or family members of those affected by cancer; individuals who are experienced researchers, clinicians, and other healthcare providers in the areas of cancer prevention screening and awareness programs, cancer treatment organizations, and community health departments that serve American Indian communities. Members shall be nominated by the SAICN Primary Partners (ITCA, AZCC, and PIMC). The Outreach and Service Core may link with other partners when needed for certain expertise in community outreach services designed to prevent and reduce cancer health disparities and improve the quality of life and outcome for American Indians living with cancer in the southwest.

Meetings

The Outreach and Service Core will convene a minimum of six times each year, with meetings scheduled in accordance prior to membership initiatives that includes community-based activities. All discussion shall be documented in the minutes of the meeting, which will be disbursed to Outreach and Service Core members.

Decisions

All decisions of the Outreach and Service Core shall encompass informed sharing of educational information and the opportunity of all members to cast a vote and/or provide input into the decision-making process. All decisions shall be documented in the minutes of the meetings, which will be distributed to Outreach and Service Core members.

Activities

1. Collaborative efforts with Nevada Cancer Institute
2. Established MOU with Cancer Information Service (CIS) – Rocky Mountain Region
3. Cancer trainings:
• Huntsman Cancer Institute – University of Utah
• Indian Walk-in Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Purpose

The purpose of the Policy Core of the Southwest American Indian Collaborative Network (SAICN) is to examine existing Indian health policies associated with cancer prevention and education, diagnosis, treatment, and research. Developing policy recommendations for consideration by federal, state and tribal health programs to directly improve the continuum of cancer services in the Indian health care system is to be done in the following steps.

The policy core will compile baseline data and current Indian Health Service (IHS) cancer policies in order to begin an assessment of the policy barriers that have an impact on negative survival outcomes reported among American Indian patients

The policy core will address policy and budgetary considerations to increase public health education about the dominant types of cancers effecting American Indians and knowledge dissemination about primary prevention strategies.

The policy core will develop policy and budgetary recommendations that are needed to institute best practices in secondary and tertiary levels of cancer care throughout the Indian health care system.

The policy core will examine policies relating to the provision of services through the Indian Health Service (IHS) including treatment protocols and follow-up care for American Indian patients that are directly diagnosed and/or treated at Indian Health Service or tribal facilities or referred to private sector medical systems through Contract Health Service (CHS) referrals or Medicaid eligibility. The policy core will look at treatment protocols and discern if these eligibility factors influence patient survival rates.

Membership

The membership shall be comprised of individuals who have direct experience in health policy development in American Indian communities and/or have experience in tribal, federal and or state intergovernmental health policy matters. The members of a tribal program, and/or the members of the Policy Core, the SAICN Community Advisory Board and the Steering Committee may identify members. Every year, the membership list will be reviewed and revised based on members’ participation

Meetings

The Policy Core will convene meetings quarterly. Special meetings may be called to address priority concerns. The agenda may include policy briefings on topics to be identified by Policy Core members, and other topics identified with the input of the Policy Core members or at the request of the SAICN Community Advisory Board and/or the Steering Committee.

Notice of meetings will occur a month prior to meetings and notes of all meeting activities will be distributed to the Policy Core members within four weeks following the meeting. Any corrections to the meeting summary may be done at or any time before the next scheduled meeting.

Activities

1. Patient Navigation process for American Indian cancer patients
2. Policy issues in the cancer care continuum

Mission

The Mission of the Research Core of the Southwest American Indian Collaborative Network is to promote the development of community-based participatory research in Indian Country by (1) assisting tribal government leaders, appropriate tribal officials to establish and oversee a tribal research agenda to address their health disparities by providing accurate information about research, research methods, and how research can serve community interests, (2) providing university researchers opportunities to work with Tribal communities to participate in tribal research (3) working with tribal communities and researchers to develop fundable pilot projects with the SAICN project.

By providing knowledge and education, the SAICN aims to foster better-informed and culturally sensitive responses to the challenges of conducting research that is developed by and responds to the interest of American Indians

Membership

The Membership shall be comprised of individuals who are experienced researchers and/or who have experience in conducting research in American Indian communities.

Members may be nominated by members of the Research Core, the SAICN Community Advisory Board, the Steering Committee, and/or recommended by a Tribal program.

Every year, the membership list will be reviewed and revised based on members’ participation.

Meetings

The Research Core will convene meetings quarterly Special meetings may be called to address special concerns. The agenda may include brief training, topics to be identified by Research Core members, a business session, and a strategic planning session.

Notice of meetings will occur a month prior to meetings and notes of all meeting activities will be distributed to the Research Core members within two weeks following the meeting. Any corrections to the meeting summary may be done at or any time before the next scheduled meeting.

Activities

1. Writing Workshops for Reports, Publications, & Grants
2. Small Tribal Community Grants
• Gila River Indian Community
• Hopi Tribe
• Hualapai Tribe
• Indian Health Board of Nevada
• Kaibab-Paiute Tribe
• San Carlos Apache Tribe
• Tohono O’odham Nation

Purpose

The purpose of the Training and Education Core of the Southwest American Indian Collaborative Network (SAICN) is to promote cancer related education training to tribal health department personnel, clinicians, case managers, American Indian students/faculty, and others. Educational trainings and workshops to be developed by this core include, but are not limited to: exploring research topics; grant writing, cultural competency, spirituality, genomics, policy development, cancer prevention and education, palliative care, and clinical trials.

The Training and Education Core will draw upon the strengths of each SAICN partner organization and will provide direction, synergy, and education coordination of SAICN activities. The Training and Education Core will develop and support community-based participatory educational activities and work to develop effective partnerships between communities, cancer prevention/care delivery systems to increase and sustain delivery of beneficial educational interventions.

Membership

The membership shall be comprised of individuals who are experienced trainers and educators in American Indian communities.

Members may be identified by the Training and Education Core group, the SAICN Community Advisory Board or the SAICN Steering Committee or recommended by Tribal representative/programs.

Every year, the membership list will be reviewed and revised based on members’ participation.

Meetings

The Training and Education Core will convene meetings quarterly and Special meetings may be called to address special concerns. The agenda may include brief training, topics to be identified by Training and Education Core members, and a strategic planning session.

Notice of meetings shall occur a month prior to meeting and notes of all meeting activities will be distributed to the Training and Education Core members within two weeks following any meeting for review. Any corrections to the meeting summary may be done at or any time prior to the next scheduled meeting.

Activities