The Mesothelioma Center Offers Community Outreach Program
AdvocacyWritten by Sean Marchese, MS, RN | Edited By Walter Pacheco
The Medical Outreach and Veterans Outreach teams at The Mesothelioma Center, the nation’s most trusted mesothelioma resource, have helped connect thousands of patients to cancer specialists, clinical trials and the best mesothelioma resources available.
With the launch of our Community Partnership program, The Mesothelioma Center has a new goal of building mesothelioma awareness through outreach to education programs and service organizations. Our survivors, doctors and other experts are committed to helping those affected by asbestos-related illnesses.
Through webinars offered to nursing students, we have the opportunity to teach them what our mesothelioma survivors have endured and change how future nurses approach rare diseases. We can also prevent unnecessary illnesses by educating groups whose members are at risk of asbestos exposure.
Our Community Partnership program provides best-in-class content, expert presentations and unparalleled educational resources to partners across the U.S. By collaborating with health care educators, universities, cancer centers and veterans programs, we aim to meaningfully increase mesothelioma awareness and the understanding of asbestos exposure risks.
Community Partnership Program Builds Beneficial Connections
The Community Partnership program works with community leaders, educators and public health experts to deliver webinars, roundtable discussions and extensively researched reference materials. Most importantly, The Mesothelioma Center tailors these resources to any classroom or organization focused on cancer awareness or asbestos-related disease prevention.
We continue to build our network of partners by reaching out to education program leaders, nonprofits and organizations that could benefit from our team of experts and library of high-quality content.
Past successes include partnerships with the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN) and Moffitt Cancer Center.
Partnerships with other organizations include:
- University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery
- Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
- Prisma Health
Similar efforts led to the development of our Doctor Match program, which pairs patients with the best specialists for their diagnosis.
The Mesothelioma Center’s Medical Outreach team also partners with nurse navigators at hospitals and treatment centers to provide educational materials, medical equipment, insurance approvals and disability benefits. Medical Outreach Director Missy Miller and Medical Outreach Liaison Jose Ortiz lead the team. They have worked with more than 400 mesothelioma specialists to connect patients to excellent resources and deliver impactful change.
In-house experts such as registered nurses, dietitians, medical doctors and cancer survivors have contributed their knowledge and experience to nearly a dozen webinars since 2019, including mesothelioma immunotherapy, pain management, treatment side effects, cancer nutrition and more.
Outreach Program Expands Veterans Service Offerings
Former U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Munz is director of The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Department. He works alongside the Medical Outreach team to stay current on new treatments and patient care advancements.
The Veterans Outreach team has built relationships with the Veterans Health Administration and has helped hundreds of veterans and their families navigate hardships following a mesothelioma diagnosis.
In 2019, the Veterans Outreach team sponsored the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers conference. Since 2018, we have provided training to more than 1,300 VSOs.
The Mesothelioma Center has a network of veterans relationships, including VA medical centers nationwide. Veterans Outreach partnerships also include representatives from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.
Our Community Partnership program continues to expand its reach by delivering training materials and supplemental resources to many more VSOs helping veterans cope with asbestos-related diseases.
We believe collaborating with health care programs, veterans departments and community leaders is the best way to continue expanding awareness of asbestos-related diseases.
Partnering with The Mesothelioma Center Creates Lasting Change
The Community Outreach program is free and involves no cost to anyone interested in receiving the tools and materials to further public education. The program reflects our mission to support organizations through outstanding resources and elevate mesothelioma and asbestos awareness.
Our team of experts has decades of firsthand knowledge and experience in patient education, presentations and resource development.
Working with The Mesothelioma Center starts with a phone call, video chat or simple email to our managing editor, Walter Pacheco, at wpacheco@asbestos.com. We’ll discuss the needs of your program and how we can help.
A successful partnership means your organization will receive custom-developed webinars, presentations, printed resources, references and other unparalleled service offerings created by our experts.
The Community Outreach program can foster lasting change through strong community partnerships by improving cancer awareness and public asbestos education. You can help be a part of that change, and we can’t wait to work with you.