LOS ANGELES (July 29, 2024) — A brand new donor-funded mission is providing free help to newly identified most cancers sufferers throughout Los Angeles County to assist them navigate the appointments, exams, choices and challenges that include a life-altering prognosis.
Funded by a present from the Lippin Household Belief and launched by the Tower Most cancers Analysis Basis, The Ronnie Lippin Most cancers Assist and Navigation Venture is a part of Cedars-Sinai Most cancers’s Neighborhood Outreach and Engagement. Eligible sufferers don’t must obtain their most cancers care from Cedars-Sinai to take part.
The mission was established in honor of the late trailblazing music publicist and supervisor Ronnie Lippin, who died of breast most cancers in 2006. Her husband, Dick Lippin, founding father of The Lippin Group public relations agency, established the grant in collaboration with the muse.
“I see Tower Most cancers Analysis Basis and Cedars-Sinai as my companions in a pioneering enterprise that I imagine enriches the lives of individuals needing a guiding hand by means of this very tough interval of their lives,” Lippin mentioned.
The mission funds three “navigators”—multilingual specialists who’re fluent in Spanish, Korean, Tagalog and Swahili. The navigators information sufferers by means of all phases of most cancers remedy—together with arranging transportation to and from medical appointments, accompanying sufferers to these appointments, and scheduling screenings and coverings. If psychological well being help is required, navigators additionally provide referrals to certified professionals.
“Cedars-Sinai Most cancers serves one of the crucial numerous affected person populations within the nation,” mentioned Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Most cancers and the PHASE ONE Basis Distinguished Chair. “This new program is consistent with our dedication to serve all sufferers, and can present sufferers with a trusted accomplice who understands their tradition and may information them by means of this difficult prognosis of their major language.”
Any Los Angeles County resident is eligible to take part in this system, freed from cost, no matter monetary or citizenship standing, age, sexual identification, perception system or schooling stage. Venture leaders are intending to succeed in geographic areas and teams throughout Los Angeles County which might be documented as having greater charges of late-stage diagnoses.
A 2022 Cedars-Sinai research printed in Frontiers of Oncology confirmed that ethnic teams in Los Angeles had excessive charges of explicit cancers. For instance:
- Black folks have greater charges of prostate most cancers, triple-negative breast most cancers and pancreatic most cancers than individuals who determine with different teams.
- Latinos have greater incidence charges of sure cancers, together with liver most cancers and late-stage melanoma than non-Latino whites.
- Charges of breast most cancers amongst Koreans have elevated extra considerably than amongst individuals who determine with different teams.
“This mission’s whole-person strategy to serving to most cancers sufferers will chip away at disparities by offering well timed entry to remedy, and equitable allocation of survivorship instruments—all supplied by trusted navigators working locally,” mentioned Zul Surani, affiliate director of Neighborhood Outreach and Engagement, and an administrator of the Most cancers Analysis Middle for Well being Fairness at Cedars-Sinai Most cancers. “Culturally tailor-made navigation throughout the most cancers continuum is a large enterprise and has confirmed efficient by means of many years of analysis, and this program goals to scale back the most cancers burden throughout Los Angeles neighborhoods.”
To take part in this system, sufferers ought to fill out the Ronnie Lippin Most cancers Assist and Navigation Venture utility.
Learn extra from the Newsroom: Annual Report Highlights From Cedars-Sinai Most cancers