Vietnamese Cancer Awareness Research and Education Society

About VN CARES

History:
   In 2001, UC Davis undergraduates and medical students established the Vietnamese Cancer Awareness, Research and Education Society (VN CARES) in response to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) report that revealed Vietnamese American women had the highest incidence rate of cervical cancer – five times greater than Caucasian women. VN CARES is a non-profit student-run organization that promotes cancer awareness and provides free cancer screenings to the underserved Vietnamese population.       

VN CARES began working with Sacramento Vietnamese Community to implement the following:

VN CARES' Goals

1. Inform the community about the prevalent types of cancer that affect the target population – namely breast, cervical, and prostate cancer.
2. Educate the community about the benefits of performing regular cancer screenings and the available cancer treatments.
3. Enroll people to receive free cancer screenings.

VN CARES' Objectives

° Reduce the cancer-related disparities in the Vietnamese community.
° Ensure that all Vietnamese individuals obtain skills and knowledge to maintain a cancer reducing lifestyle.
° Participate in the planning and implementation of research activities designed to identify the health care needs of the Vietnamese community.
° Network with other organizations to achieve common objectives.