Our Mission
Project Nana, Inc. (PN) is a boutique nonprofit with an innovative approach to advancing health equity for post-menopausal women. We call them seasoned women. Through creative workshops, advocacy, training, research, and community engagement, our health goal is to reduce late-stage diagnoses of women's cancers and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Our Aproach
Cancers plague women of all ages. However, Project Nana, Inc. (PN) was established in 2012 to specifically help educate post-menopausal women, age 55 plus about continuing to seek gynecologic care with the hope of achieving early cancer diagnoses and improving quality of life. In September 2022, we held our Take Nana to the Doctor campaign in Hampton, Virginia, aimed at engaging women about pelvic health, cancer risk factors, research and genetic testing, and the importance of an annual women's health exam. Following the workshop and training events, five women were provided exams with a gynecologist. Three women self-reported that they needed surgical intervention, and one was diagnosed with Stage 1 Endometrial Cancer. It is our assertion that if we were able to have those results from just 5 women, expanding our program to 50 women, developing an in- person, multi-day summit to enhance social networking, and address mental and emotional wellness, adding a healthcare provider training component, and targeting a specific health policy in local health systems may lead to greater impact.
As a growing non-profit, Project Nana's mission is to play an integral role in amplifying the voice of post-menopausal (seasoned) women, improving standards of and access to care, and improving their sense of agency, self-efficacy, self-advocacy, and a sense of usefulness. Our approach to education, advocacy, engagement, and transformation is through a holistic lens based on 9 dimensions of health and wellness:
1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Emotional
4. Social
5. Spiritual
6. Financial
7. Occupational
8. Environmental
9. Creative
Our Goals
We aim to improve the health and quality of life of seasoned women. Our health goal is to reduce late-stage diagnoses of women's cancers and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). As such, our Seasoned Women’s Health Summit and Take Nana to the Doctor campaign, has the following goals:
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1. Provide annual women's health examinations to 50 women who are post-menopausal women and/or 55 years and older, who have not been to the gynecologist in more than two years.
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2. Increase knowledge of the benefits of continued primary and gynecologic care and services for post-menopausal, age 55 years and older in Hampton Roads, Virginia by 15% within 1 year.
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3. Increase the number of annual women's exams given to post-menopausal, BIPOC women by 10% in two years, in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
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4. Increase the frequency that healthcare providers ask post-menopausal women if they have experienced any vaginal bleeding, by 25% in two years, in Hampton Roads, Virginia.