Norton Chosen For National Cancer Institute Program

The Norton Cancer Institute has been chosen by the National Cancer Institute to become a Community Cancer Center.Norton Vice President of Research and Prevention Dr. Sandra Brooks says among other services, the Community Cancer Center Program will help Norton reach out to people who have generally not been able to access cancer screenings or treatments."Those individuals who have less than a high school education, those individuals who are racial or ethnic minorities, the elderly, those who live in rural populations, those who are uninsured," she says. "The cancers that occur most commonly in the Commonwealth, there are proven methods of early detection and treatment. So our challenge is to reach into those populations and identify the people who do need screenings and navigate them through the process."Norton will receive a $1.6 million, two-year contract for the Community Cancer Center. Norton is the only site chosen in Kentucky for the program, and is one of 14 new sites added to the program with federal stimulus dollars. There are a total of 30 Community Cancer Centers in the country.