Pathways to Culturally-Adapted Cancer Care: Clinical Work and Program Development with Latinx and Chinese Immigrant Patients

This class will explore the challenges, barriers, and opportunities in the delivery of culturally responsive cancer care for patients in the Chinese and Latinx immigrant New York City community. Disparities in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes drawn from the literature will be presented to frame why culturally responsive treatment is crucial to improve the engagement and outcomes of these large and growing groups. Instructors will guide participants through the assessment and intervention process with these populations and discuss their clinical work with immigrant cancer patients.

Grace R. Downs-Liguori, LCSW, will present her experience as the only oncology social worker in a community hospital where a large number of Latinx immigrants receive their care. Mi (Emma) Zhou, LCSW will present the process of developing culturally tailored cancer-supportive services for Chinese immigrant patients, barriers encountered during the program-building process, and the strategies for reaching out to Chinese immigrant cancer patients and recruiting them to the program. Hing Lin (Helen) Sit, the manager of the VNS Health Chinatown Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, will present her experience working with older Chinese immigrants through this nonprofit. Emma and Helen will also highlight the collaboration between a cancer center and a community-based organization in outreach efforts to the Chinese immigrant community.

Participants will learn important cultural values for both populations and their role in engagement in healthcare and decision-making, barriers in engaging these groups in advance care planning and psychosocial support, and best practices for providing culturally responsive care to these groups.