Atrium Health Foundation Awarded LCI REACH Community Grant

Atrium Health Foundation Awarded LCI REACH Community Grant

May 16th, 2023

Lung Cancer Initiative’s REACH Community Grant program aims to empower and support community organizations to fill a gap in care within local communities. In 2021, Atrium Health Foundation was awarded a $10,000 grant for their project titled “Improving access to care in lung cancer screening patients through personalized navigation support services.” 

The Atrium Health Foundation implemented this grant to benefit their patients and help them obtain their optimum health. The foundation used this grant to provide free mobile lung cancer screenings, education, and tobacco cessation to underserved and vulnerable populations across NC. Lung cancer patients experience many barriers and hardships in life, and Atrium Health Foundation seeked to limit these hardships by using the grant money to aid patients in alleviating barriers such as food insecurities, transportation, and basic living expenses. 

When this grant was awarded, Darcy Doege, RN, BSN, Lung B.A.S.E.S. Program Coordinator at Levine Cancer Institute said, “Through this amazing grant opportunity, we will be able to support our patients with some of their most immediate basic needs. This funding will improve access to food, transportation, and assistance with follow-up medical appointments. We are so grateful to provide patients in 18 North Carolina counties with a resource that will fill a critical gap in care.” 

From July 2021 through December 2022, Atrium Health Foundation was able to help 40 different lung cancer patients. These patients were given grocery gift cards to alleviate their food insecurities, and some patients were also given utility bill and transportation assistance. This aid, significantly reduced the burden and barriers faced by lung cancer patients and enabled them to seek the necessary care they needed. For patients, a lung cancer diagnosis can be traumatic and having to deal with unnecessary life stressors only makes things harder. With support from the REACH Community Grant, Atrium Health is helping to lessen burdens so patients can focus on getting better and striving towards their optimal health.