Coordinated Rural Survivorship Care: Oncology Wellness & Access in Rural Delivery (ONWARD)

Project Leader Marg Hammersla, Ph.D., RN
MSU Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing
margaret.hammersla@montana.edu 

This second-year pilot project is a coordinated survivorship initiative focused on closing the rural cancer care gap.  Thismulti-prong approach addresses the needed coordination from both a primary care and survivor lens. Utilizing a Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track (MAP-IT) framework, the research team will adapt, implement, and evaluate strategies to enhance the coordination of survivorship care among Infusion Centers, Primary Care Providers (PCPs), and Community-Based Support Organizations. This will be accomplished by 1) partnering with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Cancer Coalition to create a resource that empowers PCPs, cancer survivors, and caregivers to access and implement cancer survivorship guidelines; and 2) utilizing a community health worker navigation program embedded in a Montana-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is part of the Cancer Support Community network.

Specific advantages include alignment of partner goals to foster sustained survivorship efforts, the establishment of survivor identification via cancer infusion centers rather than reliance on electronic health record (EHR) data, access to educational resources when needed rather than the use of structured webinars, and a framework to adapt implementation processes based on partner needs, resources, and opportunities.

This research builds on a previous CAIRHE pilot project that operated in 2023-24.