Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) is pleased to announce that it received a $248,500 competitive grant from the American Cancer Society and Pfizer Inc. to improve cancer care coordination for Native American patients in northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau.
The Connected Care project is a two-year, quality improvement initiative, funded by the American Cancer Society and Pfizer Inc., that aims to improve cancer care coordination for Native American patients receiving radiation therapy at the Cancer Centers of NAH. Nearly one in three people receiving radiation therapy at NAH are Native American. Many rural Native American patients must travel long distances to receive treatment, which can create big challenges since radiation treatment usually requires daily visits for an average of five to six weeks.
To strengthen cancer care coordination for Native American patients, NAH will cross-train a patient navigator to support patients by helping with transportation, food access and lodging, while receiving radiation therapy away from home. The patient navigator will connect patients with local community health workers to support follow-up care and patient well-being. The Northern Arizona University (NAU) Center for Community Health and Engaged Research (CHER) will serve as the evaluation and technical assistance partner to NAH for this grant.
“The Connected Care project will benefit so many rural Native American cancer patients during their time of need,” said Amy Stapleton, administrator of the Cancer Centers of NAH. “This project would not be possible without the diligent efforts of NAH’s Office of Philanthropy and NAU, who jointly applied for the competitive grant and received one of only seven awards granted across the country. The goal of this project is to improve well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native patients as they undergo cancer treatment by integrating community health workers into a multi-level, systems-based cancer care coordination model that supports adhering to and completing their plan of care,” Stapleton added.
“The NAU Center for Community Health and Engaged Research is honored to partner with the health care teams at the Northern Arizona Healthcare Cancer Center,” said Samantha Sabo, DrPH, professor of public health at CHER. “This collaboration strengthens and leverages NAU’s long-standing, trusted relationships with Community Health Workers and Tribal Nations, alongside NAH’s trusted role as the radiation oncology provider for tribal communities across northern Arizona, to advance coordinated and culturally grounded cancer care with, by and for Indigenous patients and partners.”
“The American Cancer Society is proud to advance this important initiative, supported by Pfizer, to address longstanding barriers to cancer care for American Indian and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. We are pleased to support the work of NAH, whose community-engaged expertise strengthens our shared commitment to improving equitable, culturally grounded cancer care. Together, we are working to drive meaningful and sustainable improvements in access and outcomes for Native communities,” said Anne Gaglioti, MD, Vice President of Implementation Science at the American Cancer Society.
The Cancer Centers of NAH is located at 1325 N. Beaver St. in Flagstaff. The multidisciplinary medical teams include board-certified radiation oncologists, certified and licensed physicians, dosimetrists and radiation therapists, oncology-certified nurses and nurse navigators, social workers, registered dietitians and certified mastectomy fitters. The team is dedicated to providing the most advanced and effective treatment, healing, recovery and survivor support to our diverse patient population.
The project will benefit American Indian and Alaska Native patients served by the Cancer Centers of NAH by creating a regional integrated health care network. It is co-led by Mathew Greer, MD, and Stephanie Rice, MD, of the Cancer Centers of NAH, and Dr. Sabo. Additional partners include:
- Native Americans for Community Action, Urban Indian Health Center
- Hopi Health Department, Community Health Representative Program and Cancer Support Services Program
- Hualapai Tribe Elder Services Program
- Navajo Nation Department of Health, Community Health Representative Program
- Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, Cancer Support Services
- Indian Health Service, National Community Health Representative Program