About HC2
Persistent Poverty
Persistent poverty areas are defined as regions where 20% or more of the population has lived below the federal poverty line for the past 30 years. Individuals in these areas have higher cancer incidence rates, face delays in diagnosis and treatment, and are more likely to die from cancer compared to those not living in poverty. However, there is limited research on improving cancer outcomes in these areas.
Funding
In 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration allocated $50 million to launch the Persistent Poverty Initiative, the first major program to address the structural and institutional factors of persistent poverty in the context of cancer. Coordinated by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, this initiative aims to alleviate the cumulative effects of persistent poverty on cancer outcomes by building research capacity, fostering cancer prevention research, and promoting community-based programs.
These funds established five Centers for Cancer Control Research in Persistent Poverty Areas, including HC2. HC2 aligns with the Administration’s Cancer Moonshot priorities by addressing structural drivers of cancer differences, reducing tobacco use, and promoting access to healthy food to prevent cancer.
Community Partners
Building relationships on:
- Credibility
- Trust
- Respect
- Reciprocity
- Shared knowledge
- Authenticity
- Collaboration
- Listening
- Cultural humility
- Values (including spirituality)
Specific Aims of HC2
- Establish HC2 as a robust and sustainable cross-institutional center for cancer prevention research, focusing on areas and populations experiencing persistent poverty both regionally and nationally.
- Promote and implement innovative, multi-sector, multi-level cancer prevention research programs in areas affected by persistent poverty.
- Develop and support a network of cancer prevention researchers across institutions who integrate persistent poverty considerations into their work to better serve the region.
- Build upon existing partnerships to expand and sustain the Health Network to Address Cancer Prevention in Areas of Persistent Poverty.
“Relationships, Respect, Reciprocity.”
—Emily Salois, MSW, LCSW