The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals received a $500,000 grant from the Avon Foundation to support its breast cancer patient navigator program over the next two years. This is the third consecutive grant awarded to the program by the Avon Foundation and the first multi-year grant.
Funded by Avon since it was established in 2005, the patient navigator program helps increase the number of people who follow the recommended treatment plans to completion. Patient navigators act as advocates for breast cancer patients, assisting them from diagnosis through treatment. Advocates also provide emotional support, arrange transportation for appointments, provide explanations of diagnoses and how to follow treatment plans, and education and support for the patient’s family members.
While navigators are available to work with all breast-cancer patients, the grant will allow them to focus their efforts on patients who speak English as a second language as well as the poor, the elderly and the uninsured.
The check was presented at the closing ceremonies of the sixth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Boston last month, raising $6.9 million to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. •
