Chinese cancer support group CanRevive has received more than $100,000 in funding for two cancer awareness projects as part of the Cancer Institute NSW Innovations in Cancer Control Grants.

The Bowel Cancer Screening Awareness Project for Australian Chinese will focus on investigating the barriers of low participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) among Chinese communities.

The Light in the Darkness Project will focus on collecting the evidence which affects Chinese cancer patients and their carers/families accessing palliative care services. The development of the culturally and linguistically appropriate information kit on palliative care will enable the community to be aware of the services.

CanRevive Inc. President Eric Yeung said “We are very pleased to have received funding from Cancer Institute NSW as a recognition of CanRevive’s support services and community engagement for over 22 years. CanRevive has solid partnership relationships with many local community organizations and medical professionals, which is a core modality embedded in our culturally specific outreach programs. For this we are confident that the resources developed from these 2 grants, will benefit the Chinese community and improve their access to suitable cancer services.”

The Innovation in Cancer Control grants, awarded through the Cancer Institute NSW, supports projects led by community organisations and local health services targeting groups at risk of poorer health outcomes, including refugees, multicultural and Aboriginal communities, LGBTIQ people, people from regional NSW and school-aged children.

Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor David Currow says “Detecting cancers early is vital to improving cancer outcomes across the community. These CanRevive projects will ensure that barriers to cancer screening and care that are faced by Chinese communities are addressed in a way that is culturally relevant – and ultimately make a positive  difference for people affected by cancer.”

CanRevive will work in partnership with the Australian Chinese Medical Association and Calvary Health Care Kogarah as well as the local stakeholders to implement these two projects. It is our hope that these project outcomes will provide evidence and strategies to enhance community engagement as well as cancer service provision.