Grady Participating in National Pilot Project to Increase Diversity in Cancer Treatment Trials

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Sep 28, 2021, 11:30 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grady Health System was invited to participate in a national Pilot Project being conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). The pilot project is testing a research site self-assessment tool and an implicit bias training program focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity among cancer treatment trial participants.

The joint ASCO-ACCC initiative was designed to identify and implement novel strategies and practical solutions to increase cancer treatment trial participation among patients from racial and ethnic minority communities, which continue to be under-represented in cancer research when compared with their percentages in the overall population of patients with cancer.

Grady will be testing (self-assessment tool pilot study/the implicit bias training program pilot study/both the self-assessment tool and implicit bias training) and will provide feedback to ASCO and ACCC about the feasibility and utility of the resources and training.

Grady became involved in the initiative to help identify research site factors, such as policies, procedures, programs, and infrastructure, that may be impacting which patients are screened for and offered a cancer treatment trial, as well as factors impacting patient participation and retention.

Data collection for the pilot project will conclude in December 2021. ASCO and ACCC aim to rollout an updated implicit bias training program and site-self assessment tool to the larger oncology community in late spring 2022.

To learn more about the collaboration, visit ASCO.org/asco-accc.

About Grady Health System
Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the nation. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.

With its nationally acclaimed emergency services, Grady is Atlanta's premier Level 1 trauma center – the metro area's only nationally verified Level 1 center. Grady EMS serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta, South Fulton County communities, and numerous counties across Georgia. It also operates the state's first Mobile Stroke Unit, taking cutting-edge pre-hospital care directly to patients. Grady's American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to earn the Baby-Friendly USA international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. Grady has earned the prestigious Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model - Georgia's first adult acute care hospital to earn the highest rating for improving patient care and safety through health information technology.

SOURCE Grady Health System