January is cervical health awareness month. Close to 12,000 women in the United States develop cervical cancer every year, leading to almost 4,000 deaths. The disease also disproportionately affects Hispanic and African American women.

Unfortunately, many people don't know that cervical cancer is a preventable disease through regular screenings and HPV vaccinations. To educate Latinas about the importance of regular screenings and vaccinations, the CMA Foundation’s Cervical Cancer/HPV Project will be releasing a national television public service announcement (PSA). The Spanish-language PSA will be aired on Univsion in early 2013.

The PSA can also be viewed online at www.cal.md/hpv-psa-spanish.

The CMA Foundation's Cervical Cancer/HPV Project strives to educate both patients and clinicians about the connection between cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Through collaborations with provider organizations, health plans, public health agencies and key consumer organizations, the Foundation is working to address the health disparities associated with cervical cancer and HPV.

“No woman should ever die from this easily preventable disease," says Diana Ramos, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and CMA Foundation board member. "It is imperative that all women get regular pap tests and also schedule appointments for their adolescents to receive the series of HPV vaccine shots."

The CMA Foundation has joined forces with the Cervical Cancer-Free Campaign, and is engaged in efforts to reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer through increased screening and vaccination. We have developed a comprehensive array of resources for physicians, other health care providers and consumers, including online clinical education resources and multilingual patient education materials. Please visit www.phcdocs.org for more information.