Volunteer Facilitators Assist Community Practices With Enhancing Cancer Control

Objective: To explore the feasibility of recruiting, training, and placing in the field volunteers to assist community practices in enhancing the provision of preventive care. Design: A case series design followed up a cohort of volunteers prospectively as they were recruited, trained, and assigned to practices. Setting: The New Hampshire Division of the American Cancer Society recruited and trained the volunteer facilitators. Intervention: Assistance from the volunteers in implementing a preventive services office system served as the intervention for practices. Volunteers were trained and supported by professional staff and an implementation manual. Main Outcome Measures: Recruitment, training, and volunteer experiences in working with practices, as well as the costs of supporting the program, were assessed. Results: Twenty-six volunteers were trained. Of the 15 assigned to practices, 11 had begun to assist their assigned practices to establish a preventive services office system. Extensive planning, patience, and support were required. Conclusion: Volunteers recruited and supported by an intermediary organization can provide assistance to practices in implementing a preventive services office system.