On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the Centre François Baclesse mobilized on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, to reaffirm a key priority: guaranteeing equal access to cancer care and screening.
Combating inequalities in access to healthcare
In the afternoon, a "white visit" enabled 20 women with disabilities to discover the Centre Baclesse. The aim of this initiative is to remove the obstacles that hinder access to organized screening, particularly for breast cancer, where participation rates for women with disabilities in Normandy plateau at just 31%, compared with 54% for the rest of the population. These visits, organized with adapted materials (Easy to Read and Understand), are part of an essential initiative: to enable everyone to take an active role in their own health.
This initiative, which has taken place twice a year since 2019, is made possible thanks to the cooperation and coordination of the following partners: the RSVA, the Centre Baclesse, the Centre Régional de Coordination des Dépistages des Cancers (CRCDC), and La Ligue Contre le Cancer.
A conference committed to inclusive healthcare
In the evening, the Centre Baclesse hosted an exceptional conference on the theme of "Disability & Cancer", bringing together over 60 professionals from the medical and medico-social sectors. Highlights included:
- Pascal Jacob, founder of the Romain Jacob Charter, honored us with his presence and forcefully reminded us that healthcare is a fundamental right for all, and that healthcare structures must adapt, not the other way round.
- Michael CANOVAS, Deputy General Manager of the Centre Baclesse said: "The Centre François Baclesse has an essential responsibility: that of being a player in inclusion for all patients, and in particular those with disabilities, who all too often suffer from social exclusion. This requires personalized care paths, adapted to the specific characteristics of each individual. These commitments fully reflect the values of the Unicancer Network - Humanity, Solidarity, Innovation and Excellence - which we uphold on a daily basis to offer every patient dignified care. This is the DNA of CLCCs".
- Karine Grandin, the Center's disability referent, presented the daily work involved in supporting each patient according to his or her needs, in a spirit of listening and co-construction.
- Hélène Geurts, from RSVA, took stock of the obstacles encountered by people with disabilities in accessing screening, and put forward some concrete ways of overcoming them.
- Sébastien DELESCLUSE, Deputy Director General of ARS Normandie, presented the involvement and role of ARS in terms of creating, supporting and evaluating territorial schemes.
A signature that commits the Centre
The event was marked by a symbolic moment: the renewal of the Centre François Baclesse's commitment to the Romain Jacob Charter, to be signed in 2021, which remains a compass for guaranteeing appropriate care that respects each person's life path.
"We have a collective responsibility to ensure that healthcare is never a privilege, but a universal right. The Centre François Baclesse is committed to continuing and reinforcing its actions to offer every patient, whatever their disability, an adapted, respectful and inclusive care pathway. This is an ethical imperative, but also a human requirement that we must defend with conviction" explained Pr Roman ROUZIER, General Manager of the Centre Baclesse.
Special care at the Centre Baclesse for people with disabilities
At Baclesse, a pair of "disability referents" work together on a daily basis to improve care for people with disabilities. Their strength: one is a social worker (C.E.S.F.), the other a nurse. This complementarity enables them to take a cross-disciplinary look at each patient's situation, and so promote comprehensive, personalized care. The aim is to reduce inequalities in access to care and screening, and to identify patients' needs in order to facilitate their care, while allowing them to play as active a role as possible in their own care. "We have this dynamic of 'doing with' the patient as much as possible, and not 'in their place'", explains Karine GRANDIN, the facility's disability referent.
Focus on the Romain Jacob Charter
Created in 2014 at the initiative of the Handidactique association, whose director, Ms. Vesna VIRIJEVIC, was present at the conference, the Romain Jacob Charter is a founding document that promotes equal and adapted access to care for people with disabilities. Drawn up by and for these people, it is based on 12 key recommendations, including the importance of a caring and adapted welcome, access to clear and accessible information, and the training of healthcare professionals to better respond to specific needs. Today, this charter is a benchmark in the fight against health inequalities, and its application aims to build an inclusive, respectful and supportive healthcare system.
