Fall 2024
By Brittany Flaherty
Photography by Sam Ogden
The Dana-Farber Campaign has inspired generous gifts for programs across the Institute, including support that has enabled crucial expansion of our patient navigation program. Navigating a difficult diagnosis, juggling work and family obligations, and shuttling from one treatment to another can quickly become overwhelming for patients with cancer—particularly those in medically underserved communities where supportive resources may be limited. One key to alleviating stress for our patients has been building a strong team of patient navigators.
The concept of patient navigators was first introduced in the early 1970s to address breast cancer disparities in Harlem Hospital in New York City. After the hospital introduced navigators and free or low-cost exams and screenings were provided, the five-year survival rate for its patients increased from 39% to 70%. With donor support through The Dana-Farber Campaign, the Institute piloted a new community-facing patient navigation program in 2021 to assist patients with transportation, language services, insurance, nutrition, and other social and economic concerns that may be barriers to care. These crucial navigation services can dramatically improve patient experiences and outcomes, but they are not covered by insurance, making philanthropy vital to the program.
Since then, Campaign support has enabled the Institute to hire 6 new community-facing patient navigators, who are now providing extraordinary care to more than 600 patients in our centers for hematologic malignancies, gastrointestinal, breast, thoracic, gynecologic, and genitourinary cancers. Donor support is moving us closer to our goal of hiring community-facing patient navigators in each of our specialized treatment centers and expanding patient navigation into cancer early detection and survivorship—important steps toward delivering more equitable cancer care.