What can we help you find?

February 9, 2017 9:00 am ET

Alliance Aims to Reduce Disparities in Access to High-Quality Cancer Care

The Merck Foundation (Foundation), announced today the selection of the
six program sites and National Program Office forming the
Alliance
to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care
(the Alliance).
With $15 million in funding from the Foundation over five years, the Alliance
aims to increase timely access to patient-centered cancer care for
vulnerable and underserved populations in the United States.

The following organizations have been selected based on a variety of
criteria, including the technical merit of their proposed programs,
their organizational capabilities and experience, relationships with
community partners, and ability to promote sustainable improvements in
the delivery of cancer care.

• Grady
  Health System in Atlanta, Ga.;
• The Johns
  Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.;
• Massachusetts
  General Hospital in Boston, Mass.;
• Northwestern
  University in Chicago, Ill.;
• Ohio
  State University in Columbus, Ohio; and
• The University
  of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.

The University
of Michigan School of Nursing, in Ann Arbor, Mich., will serve as
the Alliance’s National Program Office.

“With 1.7 million Americans newly diagnosed with cancer each year, there
is a great need to improve the quality and delivery of patient-centered
care to help address the significant challenges of those facing this
diagnosis,” said Julie L. Gerberding, chief patient officer, Merck and
chief executive officer, Merck Foundation. “These superb program sites
and the National Program Office should accelerate identification and
uptake of innovations that benefit patients, improve health
communications, and enhance the overall coordination of care.”

Through an independent cross-site evaluation, the Foundation will
evaluate the impact of the Alliance and its programs. The
evaluation findings and lessons learned will be disseminated to promote
best practices in patient-centered cancer care.

About The Merck Foundation

The Merck Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation.
Established in 1957 by Merck, a global health care leader, the
Foundation is funded entirely by the company and is Merck’s chief source
of funding support to qualified non-profit charitable organizations.
Since its inception, the Merck Foundation has contributed more than $870
million to support important initiatives that address societal needs and
are consistent with Merck’s overall mission to help the world be well.
For more information, visit www.merckgiving.com.

For Merck:
Media:
Lainie Keller, 908-236-5036
or
Jeanine Clemente, 908-236-5059