Ampla Health in YC awarded nearly $500K for cancer screening

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·4 min read

Sep. 24—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that Ampla Health in Yuba City is part of an initial $5 million investment to support President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot Initiative."

Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than $5 million was awarded to 11 HRSA-funded community health centers to "facilitate access to life-saving cancer screenings and early detection services for underserved populations," officials with HHS said.

In Yuba City, Ampla Health is set to receive $499,732 in funds and is one of four entities in California to benefit from the disbursement.

These "first-of-their-kind partnerships" are meant to bring health centers together with National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers, officials said. The investments are included in Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" goals of closing the cancer screening gap, decreasing the impact of preventable cancers, and supporting patients and caregivers, officials said.

"Tools to fight and prevent cancer should be in reach for everyone, but, too often, that's not the case. With so many people having missed preventive care visits and cancer screenings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we must expand access to life-saving care," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "Today's action takes us a step closer to that goal. With this move, health centers can work to close disparity gaps, delivering critical services to underserved communities in need."

Data shows that cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., with nearly 600,000 deaths annually. Some types of cancer can be prevented or detected early through appropriate screening and timely follow-up care, however "significant disparities" have been found in screening and follow-up care after an abnormal cancer screening test result, based on an individual's income, insurance status, and race or ethnicity, officials said.

"Getting life-saving cancer screenings and treatment should not depend on where you live or what you can afford to pay," HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said in a statement. "Today's investment helps to advance our goal of ensuring that individuals from historically underserved communities have the same opportunities to benefit from the tools we have to detect, diagnose, and treat cancer. We welcome the opportunity to partner with National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers to expand access to these critical services."

The funds that are now going to be distributed to the 11 HRSA-funded community health centers, including Ampla Health in Yuba City, will focus on "increasing equitable access to cancer screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer," officials said.

These health centers are expected to conduct patient outreach in underserved communities to promote early detection of cancer, connect patients to screening services, and provide hands-on assistance to access high-quality cancer care and treatment as needed, officials said.

"The health centers receiving Accelerating Cancer Screening awards must work with NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, which will deploy their outreach specialists and patient navigators in the health center's service area," officials said.

Some examples of these activities include care coordination; patient engagement and activation; enhancing virtual care capabilities; tracking patient screening, referrals, and follow-up; enhancing health IT workflows; and workforce engagement, training, and recruitment.

"This partnership between NCI-Designated Cancer Centers and HRSA's health centers will bring to bear the significant expertise of the cancer centers in engaging the communities they serve and will help provide underserved and rural patients access to follow-up care, including screening and cutting-edge clinical trials," NCI Acting Director Dr. Doug Lowy said in a statement. "This landmark interagency collaboration represents the kind of innovative partnerships that will further advance the Cancer Moonshot and end cancer as we know it."

Those receiving fiscal year 2022 Accelerating Cancer Screening awards include: — Ampla Health, Yuba City: $499,732 — Neighborhood Healthcare, Escondido: $500,000 — Chinatown Service Center, Los Angeles: $500,000 — Family Health Centers Of San Diego, Inc., San Diego: $500,000 — Community Health Centers Of Pinellas, Inc., Saint Petersburg, Fla.: $500,000 — Community Health Center Of Southeast Kansas, Inc., Pittsburg, Kan.: $500,000 — Stigler Health & Wellness Center, Inc., Stigler, Okla.: $379,414 — Matthew Walker Health Center, Nashville, Tenn.: $500,000 — Su Clinica Familiar, Harlingen, Texas: $500,000 — Blue Ridge Medical Center, Inc., Arrington, Va.: $500,000 — Central Virginia Health Services, Inc., New Canton, Va.: $500,000