SurvivorNet Teams with NYU Langone Health for "Close the Gap," an Expansive Media Vertical Devoted to Racial Inequities in Cancer

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SurvivorNet, the nation's leading media company for cancer information, is announcing a collaboration with NYU Langone Health's Perlmutter Cancer Center for "Close the Gap," an essential new media vertical on SurvivorNet.com devoted exclusively to telling patient stories, providing expert medical counsel, and delivering vetted health information as it relates to the huge disparities that exist for racial minorities in healthcare, particularly when it comes to cancer.

"Poverty, a lack of access to health care services and insurance, and other disparities have led to one of the most glaring examples of inequality in the nation; Black men and women are more likely to die from cancers than white men and women with the same illnesses," said Steve Alperin, co-founder and CEO of SurvivorNet. "Close the Gap is SurvivorNet's effort to educate, increase awareness and eliminate disparities in cancer outcomes, and we're grateful to be partnering with the experts at Perlmutter Cancer Center to bolster this effort."

While addressing racial disparities in cancer care has been part of SurvivorNet's mission since its inception, the Close the Gap vertical will now serve as a hub of education and awareness within the patient-focused media company, specifically catering to news and human stories as they relate to this topic.

Within this vertical, SurvivorNet will continue to provide expert videos from the nation's leading oncologists and real stories from real patients who've experienced firsthand racial inequities in healthcare. In addition, it lays out hard facts and statistics, including:

• A Black woman who gets breast cancer in America has a 39% higher chance of dying than a white woman.
• African-American men with prostate cancer are almost twice as likely to die as white men with the same disease.
• Hispanics and Latinos have the highest rates of liver, stomach, and cervical cancers, and they're more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage when cancer is less curable.
• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are twice as likely to die from liver and stomach cancers as white Americans.

"Education and awareness are among the most effective ways to move the needle," Alperin said of SurvivorNet's Close the Gap efforts. "We need to come together to discuss the critical blockers that prevent people in minority populations from accessing cancer care, engaging in basic preventive behaviors, and taking part in clinical trials."

A longtime SurvivorNet partner, NYU Langone Health's Perlmutter Cancer Center agrees with this philosophy, and brings renowned medical experts to the table for the initiative, including Benjamin Neel, MD, PhD, director of Perlmutter Cancer Center.

"Our mission is to bring visionary thinking and compassionate care to the science of treating cancer," Dr. Neel said. "That is why Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health is pleased to partner with SurvivorNet on the health equity initiative Close the Gap. As partners, we will collaborate with SurvivorNet, as well as other health and community groups, to provide expert advice and new information to achieve meaningful reductions in the racial and ethnic inequities that exist in healthcare and beyond. We aim to provide all people with the best cancer care and support possible."

Dr. Neel and Perlmutter Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, bring additional, established insight to Close the Gap, having already activated the program Stamp Out Cancer Brooklyn, a related initiative that involves the center's health professionals providing community-centered, evidence-based solutions to reduce the overall burden of cancer specifically Brooklyn's low-income communities and communities of color.

The same enthusiasm will be applied to Close the Gap, leaving Alperin optimistic about the future of this joint effort.

"By working together and collaborating with partners like NYU Langone Health's Perlmutter Cancer Center, we at SurvivorNet believe we can move things forward in a really profound way," Alperin said. "We are hopeful that we will close the gap, and help create a future that's free from healthcare inequality."

About SurvivorNet:

SurvivorNet is the country's leading media company for cancer information. The company has democratized access to the world's leading cancer experts, helping millions of Americans make better decisions about their care. SurvivorNet's resources are built in collaboration with leading cancer centers, including The National Cancer Institute, Cedars Sinai, Stanford, and The Dana-Farber Cancer Center. The company's daily news operation is syndicated widely and serves as an important source of information for millions of Americans every month. SurvivorNet was founded by Steve Alperin and Tim Langloss.

SOURCE SurvivorNet