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Gregory J. Riely, MD, PhD
Gregory J. Riely, MD, PhD
Posted: Monday, November 25, 2024
The independent charitable organization Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation recently awarded a $2.5M grant to researchers from the Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to establish a new initiative aimed at reducing disparities in lung cancer screening across Los Angeles County.
The award will support a new program called California Partnerships to Increase Access to Lung Cancer Screening (CAL-PALS). It will involve collaboration between a multidisciplinary team of experts in lung cancer screening and implementation science from UCLA and two community hospitals: Northridge Hospital Medical Center and St. Mary Medical Center. The researchers will work to expand access to life-saving lung cancer screening for ethnically minoritized, low-income, and other marginalized groups residing in Los Angeles County—where screening rates remain low (5%–6%).
The CAL-PALS program will support implementation strategies within routine operations of the collaborating hospitals that will involve workflow changes with the support of a designated lung cancer screening physician champion and lung cancer screening navigator, both funded by the grant. The researchers will seek to engage physicians and staff across each hospital system to create system-level changes that successfully and sustainably increase access to high-quality lung cancer screening services. Simultaneous community initiatives to increase awareness will include educational campaigns, language support services, and community outreach to ensure that residents of Los Angeles County are aware of the lung cancer screening services for which they may be eligible.
The program will work collaboratively to develop culturally appropriate strategies with community stakeholders to dismantle patient barriers to lung cancer screening, such as stigma, fear, and guilt about developing lung cancer following years of cigarette smoking; as well as a lack of knowledge about the ease, availability, and value of lung cancer screening and modern treatment options that are improving survival and quality of life among patients with lung cancer.
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