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Improving Pediatric Cancer Care Disparities Across the United States-Mexico
Border: Lessons Learned from a Transcultural Partnership between San Diego and
Tijuana
#MMPMID26157788
Aristizabal P
; Fuller S
; Rivera R
; Beyda D
; Ribeiro RC
; Roberts W
Front Public Health
2015[]; 3
(?): 159
PMID26157788
show ga
In 2007, the 5-year survival rate for children with acute leukemia in Baja
California, Mexico was estimated at 10% (vs. 88% in the United States). In
response, stakeholders at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Rady Children's
Hospital San Diego, and the Hospital General de Tijuana (HGT) implemented a
transcultural partnership to establish a pediatric oncology program. The aim was
to improve clinical outcomes and overall survival for children in Baja
California. An initial needs assessment evaluation was performed and a culturally
sensitive, comprehensive, 5-year plan was designed and implemented. After
six?years, healthcare system accomplishments include the establishment of a fully
functional pediatric oncology unit with 60 new healthcare providers (vs. five in
2007). Patient outcome improvements include a rise in 5-year survival for
leukemia from 10 to 43%, a rise in new cases diagnosed per year from 21 to 70, a
reduction in the treatment abandonment rate from 10% to 2%, and a 45% decrease in
the infection rate. More than 600 patients have benefited from this program.
Knowledge sharing has taken place between teams at the HGT and Rady Children's
Hospital San Diego. Further, one of the most significant outcomes is that the HGT
has transitioned into a regional referral center and now mentors other hospitals
in Mexico. Our results show that collaborative initiatives that implement
long-term partnerships along the United States-Mexico border can effectively
build local capacity and reduce the survival gap between children with cancer in
the two nations. Long-term collaborative partnerships should be encouraged across
other disciplines in medicine to further reduce health disparities across the
United States-Mexico border.