SAN FRANCISCO—A newly formed partnership between the City and County of San Francisco, UC San Francisco (UCSF), the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and several non-profit community organizations has led to the development of the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN): a program intended to decrease the rates of cancer deaths in the city. SF CAN aims to accomplish this goal primarily by reducing inequalities in the region’s cancer treatment options.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in San Francisco, and in the past 25 years, it has disproportionately impacted San Franciscans who belong to minority communities, according to UCSF.
“The most common cancers in San Francisco that are likely to be affected by known interventions or better screening […] are prostate, breast, liver, colorectal, and tobacco-related cancers.” The majority of these cancers “disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, as well as the socio-economically disadvantaged,” states the UCSF website.
SF CAN was funded by a $3 million donation to the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The initiative’s success will depend on the collaboration of its public and private partners.
Other SF CAN partners include: American Cancer Society, Hospital Council of Northern & Central California, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Chinese Hospital, San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, San Francisco Medical Society, SF Hep B Free, San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership, and Project Inform.
