Where Your Money Goes

As part of its Community Health Partnership Grant Program, the CCA is proud to say that a portion of Undy 5000 event proceeds stay with local community partners to help fund colon cancer services.

Here are some of our local partners:

Atlanta: Northside Hospital
Buffalo: Independent Health Foundation
Cincinnati: The Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati Project Access
Dallas: Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers
Denver: The Colorado Colorectal Screening Program
Jersey Shore: Monmouth Medical Center
Nashville: Blue Note Fund
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Health System
Phoenix: Fit at Fifty HealthCheck Program
Piedmont Triad: Forsyth Medical Center Foundation
Sacramento: California Colorectal Cancer Coalition
San Diego: California Colorectal Cancer Coalition
Tampa: The University of South Florida BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic
Washington DC: DC Cancer Consortium & Sharmila Chatterjee’s Analytic Science Initiative

ATLANTA
Northside Hospital is a not-for-profit, full service community hospital system consisting of 3 hospitals, 822 beds and multiple outpatient service locations. Last year, Northside Hospital-Atlanta provided more than $138 million in total charity care for the Atlanta area. More than 10,500 patients are seen in four GI labs and 183 analytic cases of colorectal cancer are treated annually. Colon cancer is among the top 5 most frequently diagnosed cancers at Northside. Northside recently launched the Financial Access Surgery Program (FASP) – a unique outpatient surgery and endoscopy charity care program. FASP eliminates financial obstacles faced by the uninsured to obtaining outpatient surgical and endoscopy services by providing them at no cost to qualified participants. Procedures include outpatient surgeries requiring general anesthesia. A major component of FASP is the provision of no cost colonoscopies.

BUFFALO
Independent Health Foundation: The Independent Health Foundation (IHF) was established in 1992 and is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, tax exempt charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Western New York. IHF strives to improve the health of WNY residents through awareness and education programs focused on community health priorities. IHF develops initiatives in partnership with health care providers, community organizations and corporate partners to help educate communities to make healthier lifestyle choices. IHF serves over 50,000 individuals each year through health and wellness programs and specifically targets under served and at-risk populations whose access to health care is limited due to race, education, income, or geographic location. IHF will be adding FITs to their community-based Good for the Neighborhood program.

CINCINNATI
The Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati Project Access is a program to facilitate charitable medical services provided by volunteer physicians for uninsured patients in Hamilton County who would otherwise be unable to access care. Since the first Project Access patient was seen on March 6, 2012, a total of 125 patients have been seen. Patients have received specialty and primary care services.

The Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati Project Access has partnered with the American Cancer Society and the Colon Cancer Alliance to increase the number of Cincinnati area residents who are screened for colorectal cancer. Project Access will screen more than 300 patients with a mail-in testing kit. Project Access will also arrange more than 100 colonoscopies for its patients.

DALLAS
Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers: Part of the proceeds from the Dallas Undy 5000 5K Run help the Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers continue its free screening program in March at Medical City Hospital in Dallas. It also helps qualifying patients through their Benevolence Program. This program was created in keeping with Mary Crowley's purpose, to "Honor God and Bless and Serve Others." The money received from the Undy 5000 allows them to help patients with financial hardships due to their cancer diagnoses. Many often face difficult choices between necessities and pain medication - this gift helps alleviate those needs.

DENVER
The Colorado Colorectal Screening Program: The Colorado Colorectal Screening Program, which began in January of 2006, sought to screen over 11,400 uninsured Coloradans by the end 2010 for colorectal cancer, contributing substantially to the state’s overall goal of screening 75 percent of the total eligible population. Through June of 2011, the program had completed over 13,300 screens and detected 110 cancers.

JERSEY SHORE
Monmouth Medical Center: Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), a Barnabas Health facility, along with the Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest academic medical centers and has been a teaching affiliate of Philadelphia's Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. With over 3,000 employees and countless volunteers, MMC is routinely recognized by HealthGrades, the nation's largest premier independent health care quality company, for excellence in both emergency medicine and maternity care. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Monmouth as a regional leader in cancer, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery. Monmouth Medical Center will be adding colon cancer screenings to an existing cancer screening project.

JERSEY SHORE (2010 & 2011)
Riverview Medical Center Foundation: Riverview Medical Center Foundation is a separate, non-profit charitable organization, which exists to benefit the programs and services of Riverview Medical Center and the patients and families we serve. With the generous support of our trustees, community members, organizations and foundations, Riverview Medical Center Foundation enables the medical center to continue providing the most advanced care available to our community. Philanthropic support from people like you provides funds to renovate space and purchase equipment to benefit patients being treated at Riverview Medical Center.

NASHVILLE
The funds from the Nashville Undy 5000 will be designated for colon cancer patients in Tennessee who are still in active treatment for their disease. Nashville is the birthplace of our Blue Note Fund, a mission driven financial assistance program co-created by Grammy-nominated artist/producer Charlie Kelley. This financial aid program gives one-time grants to colon cancer patients in need. The program has been graciously embraced and supported by the greater Nashville community.  Approximately 3,240 Tennesseans will be diagnosed with colon cancer and through the Undy 5000 you could help many of them lessen the financial burden of this disease during hard times.

PHILADELPHIA
In November 2011, the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) created the first colorectal cancer screening navigation program that serves the vulnerable West Philadelphia population which is 76% African American and has a low socioeconomic status compared to other parts of Philadelphia. Through this program, a trained patient navigator will contact 700 UPHS patients in the one year time period of this award from May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014. With previous support from the American Cancer Society-Walmart Foundation, systems were developed at UPHS that allow the IT support team to create monthly lists of patients who have received an order but have not scheduled or completed screening colonoscopy. With permission from the patient's primary care physicians or gastroenterologist, the navigator will first contact these patients with an introductory letter and then, a week later, a follow up telephone call to conduct one-on-one education about colorectal cancer screening, address and resolve each participant's barriers to colonoscopy, provide colonoscopy scheduling assistance, free prep and transportation assistance, low literacy instructions for completing the prep, physical navigation and emotional support on the day of the colonoscopy and follow up the results. The goal of this program is to screen 150 patients who have not completed their screening colonoscopy.

PHOENIX
Fit at Fifty HealthCheck Program: ADHS is implementing a colorectal cancer screening program, Fit at Fifty HealthCheck Program, targeting the uninsured and underinsured populations. The program will be available in three counties; Maricopa, Pima and Coconino. The services offered include a fecal occult blood test and colonoscopy. Through a "request for proposal" process, three vendors - one per county - have been selected. They will coordinate the services of the patients as they move through the screening process. Who is eligible? To use the Fit at Fifty HealthCheck Program, participants need to be Arizona residents, 50 or older, uninsured or underinsured, and have an income between 100% and 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. Men and women are eligible for this program. We believe we will screen 750 Arizonans in the first year of this program.

PIEDMONT TRIAD
Forsyth Medical Center Foundation provided $270,000 of funding in 2011 to support this important community resource and the largest free clinic in North Carolina. In addition, Forsyth Medical Center and Novant Health donate the use of a medical office building to the Forsyth-Stokes-Davie Medical Society to house the Community Care Center and arrange free lab testing for the center’s patients. The center provides medical care and treatment to people without adequate health insurance; the majority of its patients are minorities and predominately Hispanic. Novant physicians, employees and retirees along with others from the community help staff the center.

SACRAMENTO & SAN DIEGO
California Colorectal Cancer Coalition: Proceeds from both the Sacramento and San Diego Undy 5000 5K events benefit Project Access of the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4). C4’s mission is to increase colon cancer screening rates in California by working to reduce disparities in colorectal cancer screening diagnosis and treatment among under served populations, increasing the capacity for colorectal cancer screenings, and advocating for programs to serve the underinsured and uninsured. Project Access enables eligible uninsured and underinsured California residents in the San Diego area to receive free colorectal cancer screenings.

TAMPA
The University of South Florida BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic is a student-run, free clinic located just west of the University of South Florida in the heart of the University Area Community. BRIDGE stands for Building Relationships and Initiatives Dedicated to Gaining Equality. The goal is to provide a health facility where uninsured patients are treated compassionately and cared for through the collaboration of medicine, social work, physical therapy, pharmacy and public health providers. We believe a healthy community is a prosperous community and we strive to improve the well-being of the University Area Community.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
DC Cancer Consortium: In response to the high rates of cancer mortality and the disproportionately high rates of cancer in DC’s cultural minority populations, DC Cancer Consortium (DCCC) began as a grassroots effort in 1991. Guided by a comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, DCCC’s mission, “to harness the power of collaboration in reducing cancer deaths” is today carried out by member organizations, survivors, and stakeholders from area health care, social services and advocacy communities. Nine full-time and two part-time staff, and more than 150 volunteers put our mission into action.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Sharmila Chatterjee’s Analytic Science Initiative: The goal of the research project is to assess how many people are diagnosed in Washington, DC and what role insurance coverage, body mass index, physical activity and other factors have in the development of colon cancer. The study will also assess how residents of Washington, DC are screened for colon cancer. At the end of the study, the researcher hopes to be able to offer suggestions to improve the health and lower the number of DC residents diagnosed with colon cancer.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (2010)
DC Screen for Life Program: Proceeds from the 2010 DC Undy 5000 benefited the “DC Screen for Life Program” run by Howard University Cancer Center and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. The money helped fund free colorectal cancer screening tests to eligible residents of Washington, D.C. who were under or uninsured and had never had a colonoscopy.