Yvette Jives

Helping Women to Combat Ovarian Cancer

Yvette Jives is a native of Asheville and serves as a member of Buncombe County Health and Human Services Board.

Yvette also serves on the Haywood Street Respite Board which provides services for homeless in need of support of their well-being and healthcare needs as they strive to attain a baseline in their health status.

As the founder of Health Education and Resources (HERS), and an eight-year survivor of ovarian cancer HERS strives to enhanced community awareness and participation by presenting an array of topics through discussions and actions plans among participants. HERS is a navigator of a complex health and social system which help women coordinate their Patient Centered Health Care needs in a manner reflective of barriers to care.

“My goals are to help shape different outcomes for women of color with diagnoses of ovarian cancer and the stage of diagnosis thus increasing the survival percentage within our communities and family unit. Being a nurse and social worker who has the opportunity to develop programs and prepare policies and procedures of a women’s health program, I have noted the limited advertisement of community resources, awareness of symptoms in regard to ovarian cancer, and outreach linkage to services for women of color below the poverty levels,” said Yvette.

“Women of color have the highest mortality rate with this disease even though Caucasian women have the highest percentage of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. My experience in healthcare has served as a foundation for my strong commitment to develop a program focused on the identification of gaps within the system and a desire to link communities of color to critical healthcare resources to address a silent epidemic that is impacting women of color at compounded rates. Without continuity of care, access to resources, and services to begin and continue treatments, the mortality of this disease will continue to impact the lives and families of women of color,” said Yvette.

“By creating an open forum within regional community and healthcare providers, HERS engages communities with conversations as to what works well for them and creates dialogue amongst providers within healthcare settings.

“Women continue to be diagnosed in stages 3 and 4 with ovarian cancer, and the statistical rate of new diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society, is 21,750. About 13,940 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die.

“I envision HERS bringing awareness, education, visibility, open discussions, a willingness for women to become familiar and engage in conversations with the makeup of the female anatomy and initiate self-advocacy around self-care and the topic of ovarian cancer,” concluded Yvette.