Cancer resource center of the desert patient navigator program: removing financial barriers to access to cancer care for rural Latinos

BACKGROUND Health disparities in cancer mortality for racial/ethnic minorities is a public health concern. Financial barriers are the major factors preventing cancer patients from accessing treatment in a timely manner. This article describes the characteristics of the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert (CRCD) Patient Navigator Program (PNP) in the rural underserved US-Mexico border region of the Imperial Valley. Financial navigation services and the insurance conversion process for cancer treatment are described. FINDINGS CRCD data from 2010 to 2011 were analyzed to report the characteristics of cancer patients, focusing on insurance status changes. Eighty-one to 87% of the patients served were Latino/Hispanic. A case scenario is presented to depict the financial navigation process in converting the patients' insurance status. Among the total samples, about 7% (n=32) in 2010 and 16% (n=68) in 2011 were in need of health insurance assistance upon their intake. Financial navigators successfully converted virtually all non- or inadequately-insured rural cancer patients to better insurance status. CONCLUSION Financial concerns are a significant thread that runs throughout the diagnostic, treatment, and post treatment journey of cancer patients. The complicated nature of patients' circumstances and medical systems often hinders the patients going through the insurance conversion process. PNP plays a critical role in bridging the gap between patients and medical systems thus promoting cancer treatment access for this vulnerable population.