THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY received a $1.58 million, four-year grant from The Merck Foundation to implement a comprehensive Patient Navigation Program in three U.S. communities where substantial cancer care disparities exist.
Sites selected to participate in the community-based program include the Queens Hospital Center in Queens, N.Y.; the Phoenix Cancer Center/Maricopa Integrated Health System in Phoenix; and the University of New Mexico Cancer Center in Albuquerque. The organizations were selected because they provide services to diverse, low-income and often underserved patient populations.
“Many people don’t know how to access the health care system. They don’t have insurance, they’re afraid or they have personal beliefs that lead them to ignore their health and avoid the health care system altogether,” said Katherine Sharpe, senior vice president of Patient and Caregiver Support for the American Cancer Society. “The Patient Navigation Program addresses these issues and helps people get the care they need even under very difficult cultural, economic, educational and financial circumstances. We are grateful to the Merck Foundation for providing this grant to bring much-needed support to cancer patients in vulnerable communities in Arizona, New Mexico and New York.”
