Patient Voices Network: Bringing Breast Cancer Awareness and Action into Underserved Communities.

Background/purpose: African American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at later stages and have higher mortality rates than white women. The Patient Voices Network (PVN), a community group whose vision is "a community of educated and involved patients working hand in hand with physicians in making decisions about their own health care," conceived of and implemented a walk to raise awareness of breast cancer and link women to screening resources in a low-income, urban community OBJECTIVES: To describe the planning and implementation of the Concerned About You: Breast Cancer Awareness Walk & Wellness Event and its impact on an academic community partnership.

Methods: A narrative approach was used.