Creating Healthy, Equitable Communities

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is supporting the recovery of breast cancer survivors and helping to address an issue that has long impacted the health of our community.

Through a two-year grant to Oakland University associate professor Deborah J. Doherty, PT, Ph.D., the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is investing in an innovative telehealth program to address the unmet needs of Black breast cancer survivors in Detroit.

The program will allow breast cancer survivors to participate in an oncology rehabilitation program centered around mitigating pain, improving function, promoting well-being and creating a greater sense of kinship among breast cancer survivors.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. Created in 1980, the Foundation is dedicated to improving the health of Michigan residents by supporting health care research and innovative health programs.

Deborah J. Doherty, Ph.D. Photo by Robert Hall

The Foundation has a long history of supporting academic research across Oakland University’s School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences and School of Nursing. This most recent grant is aligned with the Foundation’s commitment to fostering healthier communities in Michigan and addressing inequities in health care.

Doherty, who will be leading this important research, recognizes that oncology rehabilitation is a critical aspect of breast cancer recovery. Unfortunately, however, most breast cancer survivors do not have access to a physical therapy program after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, which increases the likelihood of unnecessary pain, medical complications and mental health issues.

The funding received from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation will enable Doherty to work with oncologists, oncology nurses and social workers as well as physical therapists in Detroit to address this issue head-on by developing a community-based telerehabilitation and education program. While the program has great potential to impact thousands of survivors in the years ahead, the first group of participants will include 10 Black women from Detroit. These women will receive telerehabilitation services during and after breast cancer treatment, which Doherty expects will make a positive impact on their recovery.

“The main goal is to work towards health justice in breast cancer survivorship,” Doherty says. “We really want to promote policy and systemic change and ensure long-term services within communities. This starts with showing hospitals and clinics the critical importance of starting or continuing rehabilitation programs for all patients.”

Part of a national effort to address health inequities experienced by Black women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, Doherty is working with TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation, an organization based in Atlanta; Sisters Network, a national African American breast cancer survivorship organization; and the Detroit chapter of the National Association of Black Physical Therapists. These organizations are helping Doherty develop the vision for the program and better connect to Black communities.

Doherty understands that breast cancer survivors struggle to access quality treatment due to barriers like exhaustion and lack of child care or transportation. Since these issues can make it difficult to show up to an in-person physical therapy program, Doherty’s innovative model focuses on telehealth and virtual programming.

“There are times when patients need to come into physical therapy, but they’ve had chemotherapy treatment and are feeling too fatigued to leave home,” she says. “Telerehabilitation is great because we can still work with them, and all they need is a smartphone or a computer.”

Another priority of the program is implementing a series of online virtual presentations that can help survivors form support networks and learn more about their own health. Doherty is currently working on training a physical therapist and a community advocate so the program can fully launch before the end of 2022.

A breast cancer survivor herself, Doherty is grateful to partner with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation on this important work.

“The Foundation’s generosity will help countless people lead healthier lives,” she says. “As a survivor of breast cancer who has also worked with cancer survivors for the last 16 years as a physical therapist, it means the world to be able to elevate this work and help even more people in my community.”

The OU School of Health Sciences is committed to meaningful research and programming across many aspects of health and well-being. Learn more about the work faculty and students are doing to benefit the local and global community.