Merck Foundation Launches $20 Million Initiative to Advance Equity in U.S. Cancer Care
September 08 2022 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
National effort builds on Foundation’s
longstanding commitment to helping patients in underserved
communities receive high-quality, equitable care
The Merck Foundation (the Foundation) announced today the launch
of the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care (the Alliance), a $20
million, five-year initiative, designed to make cancer care more
equitable in the United States by helping patients living in
underserved communities receive timely access to high-quality,
culturally responsive care.
“The severity of the need to take action on advancing equity in
cancer care cannot be overstated and will not be overlooked,” said
Carmen Villar, CEO of the Merck Foundation. “We must move with
urgency and work together to provide all people living with cancer
access to high-quality care and treatment. The creation of the
Alliance is an important step toward ensuring social determinants
of health no longer factor into an individual’s ability to receive
vital health care.”
As part of the initiative, the Foundation is providing grants to
select non-profit health care organizations to help develop and
implement evidence-informed, innovative programs that advance
equity in cancer care. Grantees will work collectively to improve
the coordination of patient care from diagnosis through
survivorship; strengthen patient engagement in treatment decisions
and overall patient-provider communication; build community
partnerships that address barriers to care related to social
determinants of health; and provide essential psychosocial support
services.
Alliance program grantees include:
- Boston Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve
University (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation (Montana)
- Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, New
York)
- RWJBarnabas Health (New Jersey)
- University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (Kentucky)
Nearly 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their
lifetime. Members of racial and ethnic minority groups, those
living in rural areas, low-income individuals and the uninsured are
disproportionately affected by cancer, yet often have limited
access to cancer screenings, care and treatment. As a result, they
may experience later stage diagnoses, delays in treatment and
decreased adherence to cancer therapies – with serious negative
consequences to their health.
The Foundation is also supporting a National Program Office at
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center, in
partnership with the VCU Center on Health Disparities, which will
assist Alliance program grantees in building partnerships with
community-based organizations and provide technical assistance to
support their programs. Additionally, the National Program Office
will evaluate the effectiveness of Alliance programs and identify
and promote best practices to enhance the delivery of cancer care
in the United States.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to making sure that
cancer care is equitable,” says Robert Winn, M.D., director of VCU
Massey Cancer Center and director of the Alliance National Program
Office. “We are supporting diverse approaches – driven by local
community needs – to reduce the unacceptable disparities in cancer
care. We hope to improve the lives of people living with cancer and
help transform how health systems deliver care so that it meets the
medical and social needs of patients.”
The Alliance builds on the Foundation’s legacy of investing in
community-focused programs that advance health equity as it follows
other national, multi-year program investments to reduce health
disparities and improve access to high-quality care, such as the
Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care, Bridging the Gap
in Diabetes Care and HIV Care Connect.
About the Merck Foundation
The Merck Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable
foundation. Established in 1957 by Merck, a leading global
biopharmaceutical company, the Foundation is funded entirely by the
company and is Merck’s chief source of funding support to qualified
non-profit charitable organizations. Since its inception, the
Foundation has contributed nearly $1 billion to support important
initiatives that address critical global health and societal needs
that are consistent with Merck’s purpose: to save and improve lives
around the world. For more information, visit
www.merck.com/company-overview/esg/philanthropy/
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