We are excited to jump into 2024 with the launch of our new study, “Addressing Cervical Cancer Disparities Among People Experiencing Homelessness”! HTQL is honored to have received a 2023 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to support this work for the next 5 years! Learn more about this prestigious award here. 

Did you know that people experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of getting and dying from cervical cancer? They also have much lower screening rates than the general housed US population. Homeless populations face countless barriers to healthcare. Beyond this, homeless women in particular experience high rates of sexual violence and trauma. This often leads to discomfort with cervical cancer screening. It may also cause delays or refusals of Pap tests.  

To help address this, we are partnering with awesome community-based organizations who serve homeless communities in Indiana. We want to understand cervical cancer screening practices and barriers in these communities. We also want to determine the acceptability and feasibility of HPV self-sampling delivered by community health workers in homeless shelter settings. Our long-term goal is to identify optimal strategies to broaden routine screening for people experiencing homelessness. We aim to extend these strategies to preventive healthcare delivery beyond cervical cancer. 

Our amazing Community Health Workers, Becca Ziolkowski and Kalesia Smith, are now recruiting for the study in Lafayette and Indianapolis with the support of our community partners, LTHC Homeless Services, Horizon House, and YWCA Greater Lafayette!  

Stay tuned for project updates!