Collaborating to help scale the multichannel cancer navigation support program nationwide
In 2023, The ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Cancer Society launched ACS CARES (Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support), a new multi-channel, customizable program that delivers non-clinical patient navigation support to cancer patients and caregivers. Through a convenient mobile app and personalized support from trained ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Cancer Society volunteers, it equips those facing cancer with curated information, resources and patient navigation support personalized to their specific cancer journey.
Patient navigation helps people with cancer deal with barriers they may encounter at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and into survivorship. More than 2.1 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. After diagnosis, many will face uncertainty about next steps and finding accurate information. The ACS CARES mobile app provides patients and caregivers an easy, free way to:
- Access personalized, quality cancer-related information that updates as they age, the situation changes, or new information becomes available.
- Connect one-on-one with trained virtual community volunteers via live chat who share the same cancer experiences and background including diagnosis, location, military status, race and ethnicity.
- Find reliable information on addressing important topics such as emotional health, finances, transportation, and dependent support.
- Speak directly with ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Cancer Society cancer information specialists when they have questions day or night, 365 days a year.
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Cancer affects many of us, including our own professionals and families. Patients and families face challenges when it comes to prevention and treatment, and navigating those challenges is critical for better health outcomes, all while working to eliminate the health inequities that exist. We are pleased to collaborate with ACS in bringing an innovative, tech-enabled approach to the patient experience, blending relevant content, staff-assisted navigation, and virtual/in-person support. ACS¡¯s personalized approach, leveraging community relationships, allows us to together drive impact on a national scale. Health equity is a moral and business imperative. Every organization, across every industry, can play a role in making health more equitable ¨C within their organizations, and in the communities they serve.
With this collaboration, and a $1 million commitment, to be used over two years, the?Deloitte* Health Equity Institute (DHEI) together with ACS will expand the program to focus on:
- Increase multicultural engagement in all the organization¡¯s patient navigation programs through cultural competency training and Spanish translation
- Accelerate nationwide deployment of the ACS CARES app with a focus on engaging underserved communities
- Increase recruitment of ACS CARES student volunteers across historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSis) and rural health systems
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