About Us
Introduction
In 2018, the American Cancer Society and the ECHO Institute at the University of New Mexico partnered to launch the first American Cancer Society-led ECHO. Project ECHO was first launched at the University of New Mexico by Dr. Sanjeev Arora in 2003. Since then, over 120,000 learners from 25,000 organizations in 158 countries have participated in an ECHO session.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. For more than 100 years, we have helped lead an evolution in the way the world prevents, detects, treats, and thinks about cancer. As the nation’s preeminent cancer-fighting organization, we fund and conduct research, share expert information, support people with cancer and their caregivers, and spread the word about prevention.
We are committed to ensuring that ALL people have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer – regardless of income, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or where they live. Thanks in large part to our decades of work, a cancer diagnosis does not come without hope, and the cancer journey is not one that people with cancer embark on alone.
We identify the most promising avenues for research to address what is not known today and act on what is proven to work and ensure everyone has an opportunity to benefit. These are our mission platforms:
Research
We have invested more than $5 billion in research since 1946.
Cancer Prevention
We fund and conduct research to discover how people can take steps to reduce their cancer risk, and provide information on the causes of cancer – from environment to lifestyle choices to genetics, and more.
We work to encourage healthy lifestyle choices – like avoiding tobacco and alcohol, eating healthy, and being physically active – that could help to eliminate approximately 50% of deaths from cancer.
Survivorship
We are transforming the care and long-term health of approximately 17 million cancer survivors in the US by finding innovative ways to mitigate the harmful long-term effects from cancer and cancer treatment.
Cancer Screening and Early Detection
We publish guidelines for health care professionals and lay people alike, to help individuals know what cancer screenings are right for them.
Access to Care
We believe no one should die of cancer because they cannot get the quality care they need. We work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
We are working to increase screening and reduce cancer risk for communities who have been marginalized.
Patient and Caregiver Services
We provide people with cancer and caregivers with resources that can help improve – and even save – lives.
Our cancer experts provide answers and support through phone, video calls, and online live chat through our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345 and our cancer.org website.
About Project ECHO and the ECHO model
Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a lifelong learning and guided practice model that revolutionizes medical education and exponentially increases workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities.
The heart of the ECHO model is its hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing networks, led by expert teams who use multi-point videoconferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers. In this way, primary care doctors, nurses, and other clinicians learn to provide excellent specialty care to people with cancer in their own communities.
As the ECHO model continues to expand, it is helping to address some of the healthcare system’s most intractable problems, including disparities in access to quality care, rising costs, systemic inefficiencies, and unequal or slow diffusion of best practices. Across the United States and globally, policymakers are recognizing the potential of ECHO to exponentially expand workforce capacity to treat more patients sooner while using existing resources. At a time when the health care system is under mounting pressure to do more without spending more, this is critical.
To learn more, visit UNM's Reach and Impact Page, or contact the ECHO Institute at [email protected].
Need Assistance
Complete the fields below to learn more about how the American Cancer Society uses the ECHO Model to fight cancer on all fronts, inquire about an upcoming ECHO, or to learn how you can join us in our mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.
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