About NCCCP Overview Note from the
NCI Director Program Summary Overview of Participating Pilot Sites Participating Pilot Sites Evaluating the NCCCP Pilot

Overview of Participating Pilot Sites

The 16 community hospitals participating in the pilot phase of the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) serve a decidedly diverse population of patients and their families. Representing every geographic region of the United States, the areas served by the pilot sites range from the inner cities of Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Hartford, to the vast frontier regions of Montana and Colorado, to the deep South, Midwest, and upper Plains states. Each of the sites have remarkable records of community outreach programs that serve not only their immediate areas but communities well beyond, often through remote and mobile clinics and traveling medical staffs.

The sites were selected for participation in the pilot, after submitting proposals, based on several criteria. The pilot sites had to be community hospitals with cancer centers that offer medical, surgical, and radiation oncology care under one administrative, medical structure. Each hospital must serve at least 1,000 new cancer patients annually, conduct and enroll patients in clinical trials, and offer healthcare outreach programs to underrepresented and disadvantaged populations in their communities.

The network of NCCCP pilot sites represents the growing influence and sophistication of community hospitals in this country. The NCCCP pilot sites have several commonalities:

• Most have established links to NCI-designated Cancer Centers for referrals and clinical trials participation, yet some sites fill a void in states not served by a Cancer Center.
• Most oncologists at the sites have trained at the nation’s major medical centers and have experience in clinical research.
• Many hospitals are participants in NCI-sponsored Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) clinical trials and NCI Cooperative Groups.
• All sites have policies that all patients screened for cancer will receive treatment regardless of financial circumstances.
• All either sponsor hospices or have relationships with them. Many have initiated palliative care programs.
• All sites are sophisticated users of information technology, and have experience with electronic medical records. Several have experience with biospecimen collection.