Cervical screening figures celebrated

Figures for the three years to the end of September 2012 show Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and Health Hawke’s Bay - Te Oranga Hawke’s Bay Primary Health Organisation and subcontracted Māori independent service providers have achieved screening rates well above the national average for women aged 25-69.
 
Nationally, 62.5 percent of Māori women aged 25 to 69 were screened, but in Hawke’s Bay that figure was 72.6 percent.  The national average for Pacific women was 69.3 percent, compared with 82.7 percent in Hawke’s Bay, and the national average for Asian women was 62.9 percent compared with 85.3 percent in Hawke’s Bay.

Jenny Cawston, Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s population screening manager says the coordinated approach with all providers working collaboratively together had successfully targeted those women who were traditionally harder to reach.

Māori health coordinator with Health Hawke’s Bay, Lillian Ward says everyone involved in cervical screening had been working hard to reach as many women as possible, and the figures were a fantastic achievement.

Health Hawke’s Bay’s free cervical screening campaign made a real difference during September and October last year, screening over 3000 women, who were due or overdue for a smear test.

For example Taradale Medical Centre’s nurse manager Anne McLean says a 48-year-old Māori woman was encouraged by her daughter to come in for her first ever smear. “She was surprised to find it wasn't such a scary experience after all and would be happy to return for ongoing screening."

It is important to acknowledge the collaborative work undertaken across the sector especially by Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, Primary Care, Community and Māori Health Providers, Lillian Ward says.

“On behalf of Health Hawke’s Bay we would also like thank these businesses for providing sponsorship prizes during the free cervical screening campaign – it’s great to see businesses in the community working with the health sector.” 

• PAK’nSAVE Hastings & Tamatea – with $3000 sponsorship so every general practice had a $100 grocery voucher prize draw for their patients who had a smear test
• Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper – publicity support and over 35 free subscription prizes
• McCafe in Taradale & Napier – free coffee vouchers for every woman screened.