Dear Friends:
While we are waiting out the winter apocalypse, 2019 is shaping up to be a year of milestones! it begins in a good way, with a new chapter for Lazarex Cancer Foundation.
Sixteen years ago my brother in law Mike was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and I learned firsthand about the hurdles advanced stage cancer patients face in regards to clinical trial participation: the prohibitive out of pocket expenses and the challenges of finding, or being referred to, a clinical trial.
That experience sowed the seeds for Lazarex Cancer Foundation to help over 4,000 cancer patients seeking life through clinical trial participation with financial and trial navigation assistance since 2007.
However, this noble undertaking does not solve the problem at its source.
We need a sustainable solution at the industry level. Since 2013 we've been working to bring together academia, medicine, policy makers, industry, public health and community organizations to work on a solution. The result is the Lazarex IMPACT
(
IM
proving
P
atient
A
ccess to Cancer
C
linical
T
rials)
Program, a comprehensive approach to improve patient enrollment, retention, minority participation and equitable access in oncology trials.
I am thrilled to report that the IMPACT Program will officially launch in California this spring at two institutions:
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. IMPACT will also launch in Pennsylvania in the 2nd half of 2019. Many thanks to AMGEN who stepped in as the Founding IMPACT Sponsor with a grant to fund the first year of the program.
It's been a long haul and we are deeply grateful for your support along way. It is still needed, we have a lot of patients that we are assisting! Together we will continue to work towards our vision that everyone affected by cancer will have hope, dignity, support and the most advanced treatments made available to them at all stages of their journey.
Warmest Regards,
