Bringing Peel Together to Address Inequities in Breast Cancer Screening Participation

On March 6, 2026, a diverse and interdisciplinary group of Peel community members came together for a co‑design workshop focused on improving breast cancer screening participation at Trillium Health Partners (THP), funded by CIBC. The session brought together community members historically underrepresented in cancer screening alongside health equity experts, community organizations, researchers, healthcare providers, and health system leaders to collaboratively identify community‑informed solutions.

Hosted by Dr. Laura Rosella and her team at the Institute for Better Health (IBH), the workshop marked the culmination of a multi‑phase community engagement process. This included focus groups conducted with Peel residents in summer 2025 to better understand lived experiences, barriers to screening, and the social and structural factors influencing participation. These insights were complemented by population health data and guidance from IBH’s Committee for the Reimagination of Cancer Screening Services (CoRe), ensuring proposed solutions were both data‑informed and grounded in community experience.

The workshop focused on four key barriers to breast cancer screening participation in Peel: access to services, hospital wayfinding, healthcare attitudes, and patient education. Through structured discussions, participants identified several high‑impact, community‑prioritized strategies:

1. Promoting Flexible, Community‑Based Service Delivery

• • Extend breast cancer screening hours to evenings and weekends in community‑based locations.
  • Partner with Integrated Community Health Service Centres (ICHSCs) and local organizations to decentralize screening access beyond hospital settings.
  • Improve communication to increase awareness of community clinics, including shorter wait times, easier navigation, and direct booking options.

2. Strengthening Community Outreach and Education

• • Integrate screening awareness into trusted, everyday community settings such as libraries, community centres, schools, food banks, and festivals.
  • Use non‑clinical, family‑friendly environments and plain, non‑medicalized language to reduce fear and stigma associated with screening.
  • Incorporate welcoming engagement strategies to normalize screening conversations and build trust.

3. Improving Wayfinding and Patient Navigation

• • Implement volunteer‑based patient navigation programs to support individuals throughout the screening process.
  • Provide end‑to‑end navigation support, including appointment preparation, on‑site guidance, and post‑screening follow‑up (including telehealth options).
  • Deliver accessible, culturally tailored information in plain language, including clear guidance on the Ontario Breast Screening Program and what to expect before, during, and after screening.

For Dr. Rosella and her team, the potential solutions identified through this co-design workshop represent a meaningful step in the collaborative effort to reduce inequities in breast cancer screening participation across Peel region. By engaging with community members and centering community voice in the design of solutions, this ensures interventions are sustainable and advance equitable healthcare delivery in the Peel region.

Stay tuned for upcoming stages of solution feasibility assessments and community engagement!

The table below highlights relevant resources to support Peel community members with accessing breast cancer screening supports.