Prostate Cancer Health Equity Fund

About Prostate Cancer Health Equity Fund

Prostate cancer is a cancer of the prostate gland, a walnut-sized gland present in men, that lies below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in the cells that make and release mucus and other fluids). Prostate cancer is usually slow growing and may take years to become large enough to be detected, often without any noticeable symptoms. Some types of prostate cancer may need minimal or no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in American men, behind lung cancer and colorectal cancer. In 2017, the American Cancer Society estimated that 161,360 men will be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and 26,730 men will die from the disease — though many of them had lived with the disease for years prior to their deaths.

There are rare forms of prostate cancer as well which include: Sarcomas, Small cell carcinomas, Neuroendocrine tumors (other than small cell carcinomas) and Transitional cell carcinomas.

Our Health Equity Funds were developed to get assistance to those people and places who need it the most. Developed using the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and CDC Disease Incidence data, our Health Equity Funds serve people living in 220 counties across the United States that have been identified by the CDC as having the highest social vulnerability scores and are burdened with high rates of chronic diseases. The Health Equity Funds are designed to specifically provide support to eligible patients living in one of the 220 counties covered by the funds, which is verified using the zip code of the patient’s home address. All other eligibility requirements, and fund operation, are the same as our general funds.