Community Resources
Searching for Cancer Information on the Internet: A New Project in Harlem
The Digital Divide - the gap between those who have and those who do not have access to computer technology and the information provided through the Internet - is considered a significant and growing problem worldwide, especially in the field of health care. Research shows that knowledge contributes to good health care decisions and behavior. According to the NCI, at least 50 million Americans are faced with one or more barriers that prevent them from accessing cancer information on the Internet. These barriers include access to computers, education and literacy.
The "Bridging the Digital Divide Project" is a unique partnership, which combines the CIS's expertise in providing cancer information with a diverse group of Harlem-based community organizations that offer Internet access to community residents. CIS has formed partnerships with the Harlem YMCA, the New York Urban League, Playing 2 Win's Harlem Community Computing Center, Verizon Education and Technology Center and North General Hospital to run the pilot program sessions. Milagros Valdivia, CIS's Digital Divide Coordinator, says that one goal of the project is to train the community-based partners to implement the CIS curriculum in their existing classes so that once the grant ends, the information can continue to be available to members of the community.
Through free one-hour workshops, participants are provided with instruction on how to utilize online resources to learn more about cancer. Using a Web-based training site, participants find information on preventing and detecting cancer, on different types of cancer and on locating resources in the community. They also learn how to judge cancer information found on the Internet for accuracy and credibility. Prior computer experience is not necessary, and the day and evening workshops are available in both English and Spanish.
The individual user IDs that participants are assigned during the training, enable them to access the CIS training site from any computer with Internet access. Because the site is connected to the NCI's government Web site, it contains numerous links to reputable online cancer information resources. Participants leave the training equipped not only with the knowledge of how to obtain information over the Internet, but now have ready access to what is essentially a cancer-specific browser, making it that much easier for them to do their own research.
Frank Stewart of the New York Urban League has been leading the CIS workshops on Wednesdays at the Urban League's computer lab and states that the program has been as informative for him as it has been for the clients. He notes, "CIS support for the project is excellent" and that "sorting out the facts from the fiction about cancer" goes a long way towards empowering the people he works with in the project.
The Verizon Education and Technology Center has been offering workshops in both English and Spanish since the inception of the project several months ago. Saul Garcia, the Technical Instructor at the Center, cites the range of resources available to the workshop participants through the extensive link library - including a site that can assist participants in finding financing for cancer treatment if they have no health insurance or suffer financial hardship.
If you would like to learn more about the CIS "Bridging the Digital Divide Project," please contact Milagros Valdivia at (212) 593-8245 or e-mail her at valdiviam@mskcc.org.
"It's a great project. People are extremely interested in learning more. Many of them have never used a computer before and they're amazed at how much information is available to them. People are coming back for additional computer courses we offer here at the Center - that's how excited they are by what they've learned in the workshop." - Saul Garcia, Technical Instructor, Verizon Education and Technology Center