We work with community health clinics to provide free and low-cost cancer screenings and preventive vaccines in high-risk communities, and increase education about cancer prevention and early detection.
Our funding helps clinics employ a community health worker to assist and connect patients to routine cancer screenings and follow-up care after an abnormal result. Research has found that patient navigators improve cancer screening rates and the time to diagnosis after an abnormal screening, particularly among underserved communities.
What is a community health clinic?
A health center that increases access to healthcare by reducing patient barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language. They do not turn patients away based on income or ability to pay for services. We work exclusively with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), outpatient clinics that provide health services in underserved areas.
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Who We Serve
To expand access to cancer prevention and early detection, we strategically partner with clinics that work in communities considered high risk for cancer. For example, research shows that Black Americans are ~20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and ~40% more likely to die from it than other racial/ethnic groups.
Due to this, we purposefully partner with clinics that serve predominantly Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, such as the Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers in South Los Angeles. By focusing our efforts on the communities at highest-risk for cancer, we are able to make the greatest impact possible to improve health equity.
Our Impact
With seven programs in five states, we’ve been making a difference in cancer prevention and early detection rates since 2018.
18,559
colorectal cancer screenings provided
3,843
cervical cancer screenings provided
2,029
breast cancer screenings provided
18,638
HPV vaccines provided
151
lung cancer screenings provided
338,328
people reached with education on prevention & early detection
Early cancer detection saves lives
Breast Cancer Screenings
Finding breast cancer early leads to a better prognosis and higher likelihood of survival. We offer free and low-cost mammograms to screen people for breast cancer. We partner with the Institute for Family Health in NYC to sponsor a mammography van that meets people where they are to complete their screenings. Additionally, we provide funding to RiverStone Health in Montana and to SCAHC on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to assist patients with scheduling routine breast cancer screenings and receiving follow-up care if they have an abnormal result.
Cervical Cancer Screenings
When found early, the 5-year survival rate for cervical cancer is 91%. We provide funding to the Institute for Family Health in NYC and Venice Family Clinic in LA to assist patients with scheduling routine cervical cancer screenings and receiving follow-up care if they have an abnormal result.
Colorectal Cancer Screenings
When found in the early stages, colorectal cancer is easier to treat and cure. We fund community clinics in areas of LA and NYC that are at high-risk for colorectal cancer. Working with the Institute for Family Health, Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers, and Venice Family Clinic, we help employ patient navigators that ensure all patients are getting their routine colorectal cancer screenings and receiving follow-up care after an abnormal result.
Lung Cancer Screenings
Currently, only 16% of lung cancers are diagnosed in early stages when it’s easier to treat. In 2021, the United States expanded its guidelines for who should be screened for lung cancer. To meet the moment, we launched a new program with the Institute of Family Health in New York City to provide free and low-cost lung cancer screenings to high-risk individuals and educate the community on how to stop smoking. This program was made possible thanks to donations made in honor of Barbara Berlanti.
Preventing cancer is possible
HPV Vaccines
The HPV vaccine is one of only vaccines available to prevent cancer, and it’s capable of preventing more than 90% of cancers that are associated with HPV. Unfortunately, many people haven’t heard of the vaccine or haven’t gotten it, and are therefore unprotected. We offer programs in LA and Oklahoma to increase HPV vaccination rates among 9-25 year olds. Together, we are lowering cancer risk among these populations.
- The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health – We work with LA Trust to train high school students to be peer advocates on HPV, the HPV vaccine, and HPV-associated cancers. The students also encourage their peers to get vaccinated at local health clinics.
- Variety Care – We work with Variety Care, a group of community clinics in Oklahoma, to increase HPV vaccination rates in their community. We launched this program in 2022 to address Oklahoma’s lagging HPV vaccination rate compared to the United States as a whole.
- Venice Family Clinic – We partner with the Venice Family Clinic in LA to provide free and low-cost HPV vaccines to their patients.
Our Partners
Sources: American Cancer Society; American Lung Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Our programs
We provide programs for patients and caregivers across the country. See how we can help you.
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