About Us

This site is maintained by the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP), a statewide program which aims to reduce disparities in access to cancer screening among Colorado communities. Founded in 2006 as the Colorado Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP) is a statewide program of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, fueled by the academic and public health expertise of The Colorado School of Public Health and funding from the Cancer, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease (CCPD) Grant Program.

The mission of the Colorado Cancer Screening Program is to:

• Partner with local, state, and national clinical and community partners to implement evidence-based interventions and population-based research in cancer prevention and control in order to promote health equity.

• Facilitate training and technical assistance for healthcare teams to implement cancer prevention and control initiatives aimed at reducing barriers and increasing access to care.

• Convene partners at the local, regional, and national level with a shared interest in cancer prevention and control to align efforts for increased reach and effectiveness.

Beginning in 2018, CCSP has partnered with Washington University in St. Louis to adapt their sustainability framework and tools for use with patient navigation practices. CCSP has been supporting its program participants as well as patient navigation practices across the nation to use the Patient Navigation Sustainability Assessment Tool (PNSAT) and action planning resources to develop and implement a sustainability action plan.  Use this website to guide you in your sustainability planning process and contact us if you need further support.

Patient Navigation (PN) services are focused on helping patients overcome barriers and improve access to timely and quality care throughout the health care continuum, with the aim to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction, and ultimately reduce health care costs and disparities. Core patient navigation services include, but are not limited to, patient in-reach and outreach, education, communication, barrier reduction, insurance enrollment, care coordination, and reminders. Principles and standards for this complex delivery model have been outlined by its founder, Dr. Harold Freeman. Patient navigator is one of many names for similar roles. Other roles within the patient navigator umbrella include community health worker, health navigator, health educator, peer support specialist, care coordinator, case manager, among others.

The evidence base for patient navigation in several settings and disease areas is strong. When implemented well, it connects the medically underserved with access to the care they need and resources to help along the way. Patient navigation is one of the few evidence-based interventions demonstrated to address disparities in cancer care. Patient navigation services were historically supported by grant programs. However, grant support for patient navigation is diminishing as its evidence-base continues to build. To ensure long-term sustainability, PN services must be fully integrated into the healthcare system. New payment models, including insurance reimbursement and linkage to accreditation measures are being explored at federal and state levels, however there are several additional factors in addition to funding that are essential to sustain the role and function of PN. Even when funding for public health programs and clinical practices is readily available, some are able to sustain themselves over time and some are not. Therefore, it is important to build capacity for sustainability by strengthening structures and processes in your setting across several factors or domains in order to be ready to face the changes and challenges that will come your way.