BEACON Initiative celebrates several achievements.
The American Cancer Society's Global Capacity Development and Patient Support Team has much to celebrate, as the BEACON Initiative has recently celebrated several accomplishments.
The BEACON Initiative is the culmination of a five-year grant from the Merck Foundation to build interest and capacity for patient navigation in other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) around the world. It included funding and technical assistance for two comprehensive patient navigation programs in sub-Saharan Africa (in Kenya and Uganda), the creation of an online global patient navigation toolkit, and external evaluations of all program elements. ACS promoted use of the toolkit by facilitating a virtual peer learning collaborative and building a global community of practice during the pilot that was funded in part by EMD Serono, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Through the ACS BEACON Initiative, ACS is systematically investing in patient navigation capacity development in LMICs where disparities in cancer outcomes are great to promote widespread uptake and integration of patient navigation into cancer care delivery systems, so all people have a fair and just opportunity to live a longer, healthier life free from cancer, regardless of where they live.
Reaching milestones
As recently highlighted during the ACS CAN National Forum, patient navigation is one of the only evidence-based interventions shown to help improve health equity across the cancer care continuum. Evidence from Kenya and Uganda shows that patient navigation has relevance and achieves desired outcomes in settings outside of the US as well.
The BEACON Initiative ended a formal 15-month pilot in May. While this initiative formally worked with 10 organizations from eight countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, ACS informally touched organizations in 14 countries and regularly engaged 168 people who brought BEACON back to their hospitals and cancer organizations. It is estimated that BEACON reached an additional 500 - 700 people who started building new or improving existing patient navigation programs through the resources in the toolkit. ACS plans to reach five to 10 more health institutions and organizations this year with a more public and formal launch of BEACON planned for 2024 once all learnings from the pilot have been incorporated and the brand refresh are complete. (Pictured at right is University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.)
Virtual event, real support
The BEACON Initiative also benefited this year and last year from Fantasy Faire, a unique mega event now in its 15th year and a part of a Relay For Life event held within the virtual, online community of Second Life. “The Faire is an inspiring example of a global community working together to address the global challenge of cancer,” said ACS Managing Director, Global Capacity Development Kristie McComb.
A virtual convention for fans of fantasy films, literature, and gaming, Fantasy Faire brings together people from around the world for three weeks of shopping and special events. It runs 24 hours a day and offers multiple engaging events in multiple regions created by volunteers that provide numerous opportunities to donate or shop to support our mission.
Held annually since 2009, the Fantasy Faire has grown exponentially over time. This year’s event was put on by 1,100 volunteers and attended by more than 30,000 people worldwide. What began as a $10,000 event raised nearly $120,000 this year. “We’ve seen that growth because ACS listened to the supporters and aligned their interests in our global mission work with the event’s purpose,” Kristie said.
Since 2018, funds raised through the Fantasy Faire have directly benefited global patient support efforts, including the BEACON Initiative. Funds raised in 2022 and 2023 are being used to fund competitive startup grants for BEACON pilot organizations to launch or enhance their programs to demonstrate the value of patient navigation for their patient populations and their countries.
Recognizing leadership
In addition, ACS recently received the Navegación de Pacientes Internacional (NPI) Outstanding Leadership Award for serving patients and communities most in need and for its thought leadership and capacity development efforts to promote and expand cancer patient navigation to LMIC settings through the rollout of the BEACON Initiative.
