The Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative: Closing Gaps in Care at Main Line Health
Campaign steering committee
- Steven Higgins, Chair
Chair, Main Line Health Board of Governors - Stephen Aichele
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - Mary Stengel Austen
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - Betsy Balderston
Past Chair and Current Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - James M. Buck, III
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors -
Jennifer Gilbert, DO
Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - N. Peter Hamilton
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - Peter Havens
Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors
Member, Lankenau Medical Center Foundation Board
Member, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research Board - Patricia Holloway
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - George Nichols, III
Former Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors - Dalila Wilson-Scott
Member, Main Line Health Board of Governors
Cancer has been called an equal opportunity offender — with good reason. It strikes at will, impacting people regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
And while more people are surviving cancer than ever before, ensuring access to treatment for every member of our community has proven to be difficult. Too many people here in our region suffer needlessly because of disparities in care.
In recognition of these challenges, Main Line Health is launching the Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative: Closing Gaps in Care at Main Line Health. Named for John J. "Jack" Lynch, Main Line Health's President and CEO for 20 years who will retire in June 2025, the initiative is dedicated to promoting health equity by addressing disparities in cancer outcomes within our communities. Main Line Health will provide resources, education and support to help people understand their cancer risk, access life-saving screenings and navigate treatment options. Additionally, we will actively engage in research to uncover the complex interplay of biology and societal factors contributing to unequal cancer burdens.
Eliminating disparities in care: Areas of focus
Across our communities, barriers to cancer care persist. The Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative will build on work already underway to identify:
- Knowledge gaps affecting prevention, lags in screenings and early detection
- Disparities in outcomes by gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, education level and more
- Issues where a cancer diagnosis affects those struggling to make ends meet
- Access to clinical trials
Advancing equitable care is one of the hallmarks of Jack's tenure at Main Line Health, and in recognizing his fierce commitment to this goal, our hope is to raise at least $5 million in his honor to close these gaps. This new campaign will provide resources to address current needs, with two main priorities:
- Adding new regional Oncology Community Health Worker positions who will help with prevention outreach and earlier screening in our communities and serve as patient navigators.
- Naming a Jack Lynch Cancer Equity Fellow who will work hand-in-hand with Community Health Workers to understand what is causing gaps and how they can be resolved — in real time.
Rosangely Cruz-Rojas, DRPH, System Vice President, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer“I had amazing resources to help me when I had cancer, allowing me to focus fully on beating the disease. But I talked to others who could barely think about their diagnosis because they were so worried about whether they’d be able to afford their medications and co-pays.”
Oncology Community Health Workers: Proven to help
Community Health Workers are typically trusted members of local communities who serve on the front lines of healthcare, working mostly outside the walls of our hospitals. Evidence shows that Oncology CHWs can increase earlier screening rates, and when partnering closely with oncology nurse navigators and social workers, they have been proven to play an essential role in guiding patients through complex healthcare systems.
Community Health Workers will address several critical needs, including:
- Building trust, a sense of belonging and making patients feel welcome from the start by forming relationships built on respect that meet community members where they are and allow them to be heard
- Increasing participation in screening by helping alleviate fears and sharing information about available supports
- Helping patients with transportation, food security and other basic needs that don't require the expertise of a nurse navigator or social worker, allowing them to concentrate on their diagnosis and treatment.
Jack Lynch Cancer Equity Fellow: Faster solutions for disparities
The new Jack Lynch Equity Fellow will be an experienced caregiver recruited from within Main Line Health who has shown commitment to resolving equity issues. Under the guidance of a mentor, they will devote one year to making measurable progress on a topic of their choosing. Working closely with Community Health Workers and other support staff, they will utilize our equity dashboard and on-the-ground experience to expand our knowledge of what is causing disparities in cancer care and how to address them. The Fellow will also assess the impact of this initiative, utilizing quantitative and qualitative measurements to determine the success of this program over time. Each year, the Equity Fellow's findings and progress will be shared widely through Main Line Health's annual Healthcare Disparities Colloquium.
Jack Lynch, FACHE, President and CEO, Main Line Health“I’d love to look back and say that because of this initiative and so much other work happening at Main Line Health, every single person – regardless of background, race, religion, ZIP code, sexual orientation or other characteristic – feels respected, safe and receives the best care available. I can’t think of anything more important.”
The power of philanthropic investment
All of us at Main Line Health have long been inspired by Jack's vision outlining a system in which every patient has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health. It's our hope that his vision inspires others to participate generously in this campaign that is dedicated to closing gaps in cancer care.
Our $5 million goal includes:
- Establishing a $3.5 million Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative Endowment to help perpetually fund Community Health Worker positions and the Jack Lynch Cancer Equity Fellow.
- Making an immediate impact with $1.5 million in outright support to launch the initiative; fund training expenses; and boost key programmatic elements that will reduce barriers to timely access and treatment, such as transportation, food security and other basic needs.
With the right resources, we can make significant progress in our journey of ensuring that everybody receives equitable access to cancer care and has their best chance at beating this disease. Thank you for considering a gift to the Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative.
Learn more about how this initiative will impact lives by watching the video. If you would like a more detailed overview of the Jack Lynch Cancer Initiative via a mailed copy of the case statement, contact Karrie Borgelt at 484.580.4145 or borgeltk@mlhs.org.
Anna Baker, wife of cancer patient, Jim“If you can, give generously to this campaign. You don’t realize how much you’ll be helping people going through the worst time in their lives.”