Patrick Dempsey joins efforts to “Change the Odds” against cancer
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How we aim to “Change the Odds” for those facing disparities
This series is part of a larger initiative from ACS sponsored by Pfizer called Change the Odds: Uniting to Improve Cancer Outcomes™.
This initiative aims to address cancer care disparities and improve health outcomes in underserved communities, including in rural areas, where people are more likely to receive a later-stage diagnosis and less likely to receive guideline-recommended care.1,2 Pfizer has committed $15 million to help Change the Odds.
Dempsey’s personal mission for helping people with cancer
Dempsey is invested in helping families affected by cancer because he himself was a caregiver. He saw up close how hard a cancer diagnosis can be for people and their families while supporting his mother Amanda through her 17-year fight with ovarian cancer.
This experience moved him to start The Dempsey Center, a non-profit that provides emotional and psychological support and a sense of community for people impacted by cancer in his home state of Maine.
Learn more about “Change the Odds” and our work with the American Cancer Society here:
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- Henley SJ, Anderson RN, Thomas CC, et al. Invasive cancer incidence, 2004-2013, and deaths, 2006-2015, in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties – United States. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2017;66(14):1-13. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/ss/ss6614a1.htm
- Yabroff KR, Han X, Zhao J, et al. Rural cancer disparities in the United States: a multilevel framework to improve access to care and patient outcomes. JCO Oncol Pract. 2020;16(7):409-413.