Early Detection Works: How Small Details Drove a 23% Jump in Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings

vitalink 30th Anniversary Spotlight for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The results

A 23% jump in program participation. Over 6 million impressions. A big increase in awareness of the program among the women who needed it most. The partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) ran for several years, and the program ultimately reached maximum capacity.

Meeting women where they are

KDHE’s breast and cervical cancer screening program offers free screenings to women who qualify, but the women it most needed to reach were often the hardest to reach. Many were underserved, including rural women who put their families and the farm first and rarely made time for themselves.

Our multi-media campaign spoke directly to that reality. We reminded women that getting screened takes about as much time as a trip to the grocery store, and that early detection can save your life. Every message included a number to call to find out if they qualified for a free screening.

Solving a problem no one saw coming

As more women responded, KDHE shared a frustrating discovery. Women were finally showing up for their screenings, only to be turned away, even though they were in the right place. The cause was high turnover at the front desks of participating clinics. With staff constantly changing, there was never time to train and retrain on the program, and confusion followed. Some women simply left.

We built a fix that required no extra training. For waiting rooms, we created materials explaining Early Detection Works. For front desks and entrance doors, we designed static cling window decals that said, at a glance, “you’re in the right place.”

Prevention that keeps working

The approach worked so well that we went on to develop Prevention Works for KDHE, extending the same strategy to other public health programs.

This October, as we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the lesson is a simple one. Sometimes the difference between a woman getting screened and walking away comes down to a message that fits her day, and a sign on a window that tells her she belongs.