Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to award six grants totally more than $460,000 to support projects funded through the Community Health Advocacy program, with a goal to improve outcomes and reduce health care disparities. The latest grants seek to generate solutions focused on new models of care that improve access and reduce barriers for individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The projects also explore prototypes that can transform care and community-based initiatives that address the social determinants of health. The CHA program is also aimed at improving outcomes and reducing health care disparities.

The CHA program is a partnership between OSF HealthCare and The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

The funding supports research involving clinicians, engineers and social scientists to rapidly develop technologies and devices that could revolutionize medical training and health care delivery. A requirement of the grant applications was for solutions that could be deployed quickly, within four to six weeks.

Spring 2023 CHA Grant Projects

Automated Seizure Detection in Ambulatory EEG

• Huan Huynh, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Biswajit Maharathi, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

Ambulatory EEG is a powerful tool to evaluate seizure propensity in patients with epilepsy within natural community settings and residential environments. This goal of this pilot project is to build a semi-automated seizure screening system using modern machine learning-based computational approaches to significantly reduce the physician’s time evaluating these events by providing faster and more accurate screening methods and improving the patient care experience.

BRIDGeS (Building Resourceful Interactions Despite Grief and Stress)

• Eileen Knightly, MHA, RN, BSN, OSF HealthCare
• Carolyn Dickens, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, University of Illinois Chicago

This project addresses the growing issue of violence and incivility in the community and its impact on patient care in hospitals. It utilizes findings from a 2022 community health needs assessment to address cultural and communication barriers affecting nursing staff and patients. Nurse burnout, caused by prolonged stress, has worsened due to staffing shortages, documentation burden and increased violence.

Developing Tools to Empower Patient Understanding, Management and Communication of Condition

• Jonathan Handler, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Michael J. Scott, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

This project will focus on social determinants of health (SDoH) and consider solutions that empower the patient to more accurately track and communicate their conditions before they reach the reactive state. The approach is to change the way patients engage with their health-related data and provide better tools to convey this information to their care provider.

Harnessing Mobile Technology to Diagnose Migraines in Rural Communities

• Hrachya Nersesyan, MD, PhD, OSF HealthCare
• Yelena Nersesyan, MD, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The goal of this project is to test and improve the MiGRO app that enables providers to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat migraines, resulting in better health outcomes and improved patient satisfaction. The app also streamlines the referral process, allowing providers to quickly refer patients to migraine specialists, reducing medical costs and improving access to care in rural areas.

Improving Cancer Screening in Underserved High-Risk Populations

• Lisa Barker, MD, FACEP, OSF HealthCare
• Elizabeth Papautsky, PhD, MS, University of Illinois Chicago

This project seeks to characterize the current barriers to completion of screening recommendations among patients at high risk for breast cancer, then use that data to create and pilot test an “intervention bundle” to optimize rates of breast MRI completion for eligible high-risk patients. With attention to the underserved communities within the OSF service population, this project will contribute to reduced health disparities by reducing barriers to care in the context of timely breast cancer diagnosis.

UI Health Pancreatic Cancer Screening Initiative

• Jason Bill, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Paul Grippo, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The project aims to develop an infrastructure of early community engagement with clinical trials for all types of cancer. The goal is to address the increasing technological development in screening modalities without simultaneously widening the gap in morbidity rates of cancer within underserved communities. With this health care protocol in place, the team hopes to increase accessibility of clinical trials using methods that are showing promising results in pancreatic cancer detection.

Mammography remains the gold-standard imaging tool for early detection of breast cancer but some women might need additional screening. That includes women who have dense breasts.

The FDA is now recommending any facility that offers mammograms must tell women if they have dense breasts that could put the at higher risk for breast cancer. The regulation will begin being enforced next year.

Illinois and Michigan are among 38 states in the country that already require imaging centers to disclose if women have dense breasts but rules vary on how much information they require in the notification. The new federal regulation will mandate that notification in all states and standardize what must be disclosed.

Jessica Guingrich, MD, is radiologist and medical director of OSF HealthCare Center for Breast Health in Peoria. She says for women with dense breasts, it can be more difficult to detect cancer with mammography, which relies on contrast to detect cancer. She says dense tissue, which is white, can mask changes in breasts such as a tumor.

“We’re trying to see white findings (tumors) so the denser tissues means there’s more whiteness in the background and it’s harder to see those white findings,” Dr. Guingrich explained.

Having dense breasts not only makes cancer detection more challenging, it can also increase cancer risk, particularly for the roughly 10% of women over 40 that fall into the category of very dense breasts. Dr. Guingrich says a woman can’t determine her own breast density through self-exams or through a clinical exam. Radiologists use national guidelines based on the amount of fibrous tissue within the breasts.

“The density actually has nothing to do with how they feel on physical exam or the breast size. It actually has to do with that appearance on the mammogram.”

Breast density can change over time so a women who earlier was considered for advanced imaging such as a breast ultrasound or MRI might not qualify another time if the density has changed. But, the goal of the notification is to promote a discussion with medical providers about whether advanced imaging is needed to detect cancer earlier and reduce the need for aggressive treatment.

So what are the best options for women who receive the notification? Dr. Guingrich says that will depend on a woman’s risk factors. She stresses having dense breasts is a minor risk factor compared to other considerations such as family history.

“Like if one has a first-degree relative or a pre-menopausal relative diagnosed with breast cancer or if they have a personal history of breast cancer, those women are at higher risk. If a lady is a gene carrier or if a lady has had chest wall radiation.”

The American Cancer Society says breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women and is the second leading cause of death from cancer among women after lung cancer. Insurance coverage for advanced breast imaging varies from state to state and the new FDA recommendations don’t address coverage so it’s best to check with your insurance provider.  

Here are the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s answers to frequently asked questions about dense breasts and implications for additional screening beyond a mammogram.

Video clips-Dr. Jessica Guingrich,  radiologist & medical director, OSF HealthCare Center for Breast Health  

Mammogram B-roll