Nancy is one of our Mandarin speaking clients that started screening with us when she turned 50. After a phone call from Gracy in her native language, she attended a group booking and had her first breast screen: “I have a family history of genetic diseases, so regular screenings have become especially important to me.” Nancy explains: “I believe that providing services in language is essential, as it helps understand key health-related information. I speak English well, but some of the information is tricky and gets lost in translation. Gracy gave me an understanding of the program that I would otherwise not be aware of”.
Accessing and understanding information about breast screening is one of the main barriers that multicultural women face when accessing our life-saving program, as well as:
- Cultural barriers that may prevent screening
- Anticipation of pain, fear of being touched by a stranger, and fear of being diagnosed
- Priorities other than breast screening
- Having health beliefs that negate the benefit of screening
To address these barriers, we re-engage with clients in their own language via SMS reminders and outbound calls. We also coordinate group bookings with an in-person interpreter.
Since 2021 more than 3,500 multicultural clients who were overdue for screening have booked an appointment as a direct result of this work. In addition, the bilingual engagement team has coordinated more than 40 group bookings that have supported upwards of 300 multicultural clients to have a breast screen. In September this year, the multicultural project was recognised as a finalist in the prestigious Victorian Public Health Awards.
When asked what she would want all multicultural women in Victoria to know, Nancy shared: “Health is the foundation of a happy life, and through early detection and preventive measures, we can reduce many potential health risks.”
Making sure that everyone, regardless of their background, can access our program is one of our key focus areas. We fully embrace the cultural diversity of our clients and will continue to address multicultural needs.
