TLC Study

Raising Awareness About Lung Cancer Screening: Kentucky Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study will partner with community-based organizations and focus groups to create an awareness campaign encouraging high risk individuals to obtain lung cancer screenings. The project involves collaboration between UK doctors and researchers, the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health at Hazard and Morehead, the University of Pikeville/ Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Kentucky Cancer Program, the Kentucky Cancer Consortium, and the Appalachian Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute Consortium. Using the input of a community advisory board and focus groups comprised of 72 community members in Hazard, Pikeville and Morehead, the research team will develop a population-based awareness campaign to encourage high risk individuals to obtain lung cancer screenings, the guidelines for which changed in December 2013. The team will also work to inform physicians in those counties about the changes in the screening guidelines. The project will also assess the impact of using community health workers from Kentucky Homeplace to promote lung cancer screenings. Kentucky Homeplace is housed at the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health and works to address the "lifestyle choices, environmental factors, inadequate health insurance and general lack of understanding of the healthcare system" that contribute to health disparities of rural populations.