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The Cancer Disparities Research
Partnership
Singing River Hospital System has been a participant in clinical trials
for many years
but is now advancing its research efforts with a $3.4 million Cancer
Disparities Research Partnership grant from the National Cancer
Institute.
The Cancer Disparities Research Partnership (CDRP) is a grant program
sponsored by the National Cancer Institute to address cancer health
disparities and encourage clinical research. The $3.4 CDRP grant awarded
to SRHS supports our community’s access to clinical trials for cancer
patients and addresses barriers to care such as lack of transportation,
no health insurance and communication issues that all contribute to
ongoing illness and death.
Clinical trials are key to progressing cancer treatment. The CDRP grant
is allowing SRHS to expand its clinical research program and give our
local community access to trials. At present, there are more than 15
clinical trials available at our hospital.
Another way this grant program seeks to address those barriers is by
providing patient navigators to help patients successfully manage their
treatment programs. Through funding provided by the CDRP grant, patient
navigators can assist patients with needs such as:
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finding transportation
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making appointments
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communicating with the
doctor
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assisting with financial
arrangements
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providing emotional
support
Educating the community on
cancer issues is another of the grant’s missions. Our cancer outreach
educator provides in-house education for patients and also takes cancer
prevention, early detection/screening and treatment awareness programs
out to the community.
The grant’s local principal investigator is Sam Dennis, MD, PhD. He
works closely with co-investigators, Jim Clarkson, MD, and Edgar Hull,
MD at the Regional Cancer Center. The CDRP grant also encompasses
partnerships with The University of Alabama at Birmingham and the
University of Mississippi Medical Center.
SRHS is able to work with these partners through Telesynergy equipment
purchased with CDRP grant funds. The Telesynergy system is a medical
consultation workstation that allows collaboration between the partners
and gives patients the opportunity for a second opinion without leaving
home.
For more details on clinical trials, call 809-5639. For information on
the patient navigator program, call 809-2057; and for questions about
community outreach call, 497-7473. For information on the CDRP program,
use the following link.
http://www3.cancer.gov/rrp/CDRP/index.html
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