Issue 51, February 8, 2024 America faces daunting and complex healthcare challenges that include and go beyond the current pandemic. In myriad ways, innovative healthcare companies are developing solutions to improve access to care, battle disease, strengthen population health, and meet the needs of underserved communities. This newsletter will offer examples of Healthcare Leadership Council members answering the call. |
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| Pfizer, American Cancer Society Join Forces to Reduce Cancer Care Disparities Pfizer, a Healthcare Leadership Council member, and the American Cancer Society have announced the launch of "Change the Odds: Uniting to Improve Cancer Outcomes," a three-year initiative to bridge the gap in cancer care disparities. Through funding from Pfizer, the initiative aims to improve health outcomes in medically underrepresented communities across the United States by enhancing awareness of and access to cancer screenings, clinical trial opportunities, and patient support and comprehensive navigation. "Change the Odds" will initially focus on breast and prostate cancer in medically underserved communities, with the potential to expand to additional cancer types. There are plans to engage additional partners to extend the reach of the programmatic activities to more individuals and deepen the tangible impact in select communities. Chris Boshoff, Pfizer Chief Oncology Officer and Executive Vice President, said, "Cancer doesn't discriminate - and neither should cancer care. Everyone should have the same opportunity to access the latest advances in care, regardless of their background or where they live. We're proud to partner with the American Cancer Society on a broad, community-focused initiative to reach people living with cancer where they are, with urgency, and connect them to resources to receive the care they deserve." |
AdventHealth, in First-in-World Procedure, Targets Kidney Tumors with Sound Beams Kidney tumor patients have an innovative new treatment option, first performed recently by an AdventHealth surgical team. The procedure, known as histotripsy, targets and destroys tumors using sound beams, noninvasively and without the need for needles and incisions. The procedure was conducted under the auspices of the AdventHealth Research Institute, where physicians and researchers are currently conducting more than 650 studies and clinical trials. AdventHealth is a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council. Current kidney therapies such as partial nephrectomy and thermal ablation are invasive and exhibit complications, such as bleeding and infection, that non-invasive histotripsy may avoid. While surgical intervention is the 'gold standard' in removing kidney tumors, histotripsy offers the potential to destroy targeted tumors without damaging surrounding kidney tissue. AdventHealth urologist Michael McDonald, M.D., who performed the procedure, said, "At the start of my surgical career in the 1990s, open surgical techniques were the primary method of medical operations. However, this quickly changed with the introduction of laparoscopic surgery in the late 1990s and robotic surgery in the early 2000s. And the field continues to evolve. I'm excited about the potential of emerging technologies such as histotripsy to improve patient safety and outcomes." |
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