Hartford Hospital Selected to Continue Participation in National Cancer Institute Program of Research & Care at Community Hospitals

July 06, 2012

(Hartford, Conn.) June 2012— The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, selected Hartford Hospital’s Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center to continue its important role in its national network of community cancer centers. A member of the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) since 2007, the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center has been awarded approximately $500,000 annually to fund participation in the NCCCP network for the next two years.

"We are so pleased to have been selected by the National Cancer Institute for an additional two years as an NCI Community Cancer Center, the only one of its kind in New England," said Andrew L. Salner, MD, Director of the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center. "This recognition clearly is a direct result of the excellent contributions our team has made nationally in the areas of outreach to reduce cancer disparities, quality cancer care, cancer research, biospecimens/genomics, and survivorship."

"This recognition by the NCI speaks to the excellence and innovation of the cancer care we deliver every day at Hartford Hospital," said Jeffrey Flaks, Hartford Hospital's President and CEO. "Our specialist physicians, nurses and other providers work as teams to deliver personalized and coordinated care, and also focus on research and training of the cancer experts of the future."

The NCCCP is a collaborative network of community hospitals working to: expand cancer research, enhance access to cancer care and improve the quality of care for cancer patients served by community hospitals in urban, suburban, and rural areas, with an emphasis on underserved populations. The majority of United States cancer patients are diagnosed with and treated for the disease in their local communities, where they can remain closer to home rather than commute to major academic medical centers. The NCCCP network has served approximately 53,000 new cancer cases each year.

Launched in 2007 as a pilot program comprised of 16 community hospitals, the NCCCP added 14 additional sites to the network in 2010. Funding available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allowed the 30 NCCCP hospitals to recently compete for a program extension; 21 of them were awarded funds to continue program participation through June 2014. Hartford Hospital’s Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center’s selection ensures that the NCCCP network’s ongoing efforts to offer state-of-the-art coordinated care and to
create research opportunities will continue to be addressed in the Hartford community.

The 21 NCCCP community hospitals each have a major focus on reducing cancer health care disparities. They will continue efforts to enhance patient access to the latest, evidence-based cancer care, improve the overall quality of care, and expand research opportunities across the cancer continuum. Hartford Hospital’s Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center’s continued participation in the program helps to support NCI’s overall mission of accelerating cancer research and improving outcomes for cancer patients across the U.S. 

About the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center
The Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center is a nationally recognized center for the treatment of patients with cancer. It is one of the largest cancer centers in the Northeastern United States. The cancer center houses many talented and experienced medical specialists and support personnel. It also houses the latest technology equipment to provide cutting edge, state-of-the-art care. More than 50,000 patient visits are made annually to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center. The NCCCP program has facilitated expansion of Hartford Hospital’s patient care programs and research efforts, and made possible many new jobs for Hartford area residents.

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