Maine Cancer Foundation targets data that can better serve patients
Courtesy / Maine Cancer Foundation
The "Hope Wall" at Maine Cancer Foundation's 2022 Tri for a Cure fundraiser was a kaleidoscope of uplifting messages.
To fight cancer more effectively, the Maine Cancer Foundation is creating a database to pinpoint where and how the medical system can best serve patients.
Besides helping the Falmouth-based nonprofit focus grants and programming where they're needed most, the Maine Cancer Blueprint tool is intended for other organizations involved in the fight against cancer.
The ultimate goal is to support efforts to reduce disparities in cancer prevention, treatment and outcomes for all Maine residents, via transparent information on race and ethnicity, insurance type and geographic regions.
Ray Ruby, director of development at Maine Cancer Foundation, told Mainebiz that the group is not aware of anything comparable in other states.
The Human Services Research Institute, a nonprofit based in Cambridge, Mass., that works closely with the Maine Health Data Organization, aims to launch the database by the end of March 2023.
Funding for the project's first phase, expected to cost around $70,000, is being provided in part by a $15,000 grant from the Benoit Family Foundation and a $15,000 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care matching contribution. Additional funding is being sought to cover the remaining cost, Ruby said.
"We've been contemplating and planning for the Maine Cancer Blueprint for some time and it's very rewarding to see this comprehensive data-driven tool come to life," thanks to the efforts of the Maine Cancer Foundation staff and its partners, said John Benoit, a member of Maine Cancer Foundation's advisory group and board.
Maine Cancer Foundation has an annual budget of around $3 million and employs seven people, six of whom are working full-time.
Harvard Pilgrim's involvement
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care provided its grant this spring to launch the undertaking.
"We are proud to support the Maine Cancer Foundation's efforts to develop this data analytics tool to help us all better understand the current state of cancer in Maine and the impact it has on Maine residents," said Bill Whitmore, Maine market vice president for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
"With this knowledge, the initiative will help make our currently available interventions more consistent and equitable for everyone regardless of income or geography and help reduce cancer incidence across the board," Whitmore added. "We encourage other members of the business community to support the Maine Cancer Foundation in its effort to create better outcomes for all our citizens."
Lung cancer, which afflicts more than 1,430 people in Maine every year and is the state's leading cause of cancer deaf, is one of the focus areas for the first phase of the project, along with cancer of the colon and rectum, breast and prostate, and melanoma.
Ruby noted that 75% of lung cancer cases in Maine are detected late and are often not treatable. However, when lung cancer is found early, there are more options for treatment and a better chance for long-term survival, he said.
With a view to improving survival rates of all types of cancer, the Maine Cancer Blueprint will incorporate data from several primary sources.
The Human Services Research Institute will then use that information to support Maine Cancer Foundation in identifying and creating measures that will report variations in cancer incidence, mortality, cost, screening rates and access to care across the state.
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