Community Outreach & Patient Navigation

Community outreach

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Community Outreach is a dedicated team with a mission to help educate and support the surrounding communities of all Cleveland Clinic hospitals and service areas. Cancer Community Outreach staff are frequently out in the community training advocates, providing educational opportunities and offering cancer screening programs to those in need.

View upcoming community events

A variety of events take place at Cleveland Clinic locations and within our surrounding communities for patients and community members, employees and supporters. For more information on upcoming events or to get involved, please contact 216.444.7505.

Community Programs

Cancer Community Outreach has several cancer screening programs that occur in the communities served by Cleveland Clinic. Learn more about our programs below.

SCIIT (Stop Cancer In Its Tracks)

SCIIT is a partnership between Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center and faith-based organizations to share culturally appropriate health information regarding cancer and chronic diseases within their organizations and surrounding communities. SCIIT establishes or enhances the health ministry within your congregation by working to eliminate barriers to care, while improving your organization’s health behaviors. We help to build invaluable relationships within the faith-based community and link your organization to valuable information about local cancer prevention and treatment resources. The Roles and Responsibilities of a SCIIT partner:

Determine your organization’s key SCIIT advocates.
Prepare to advocate for health awareness, disease self-management, and help your congregants to navigate the health care system by completing Cleveland Clinic’s SCIIT training program.
Collaborate with Cleveland Clinic to host workshops and events that focus on cancer, health, and wellness.
Encourage congregants to sign up and complete cancer and other health screenings offered by Cleveland Clinic.
Attend regular meetings and participate in discussions on how to continually improve cancer outcomes within the community and congregations.

For more information or to get involved, contact Mark Ribbins at ribbinm@ccf.org.

Get Behind Your Health

Our goal is to decrease late-stage colon cancer diagnosis by increasing early detection and education. The “Get Behind Your Health” program is designed to bring awareness about preventative measures and encourage action to maintaining your colorectal health and completing your scheduled screenings. These events will also drive community engagement and aid to bridge the gap between affordable health and cancer screenings and other access to care.

For more information or to get involved call 216.444.7505 or email us at TaussigCommunityOutreach@ccf.org.

Coming Out Against Cancer

Research studies demonstrate that knowledge about increased risks and need for screening is low in LGBT+ populations. We implemented a population-oriented program into our Community Outreach team in 2019 to address LGBT+ barriers to care and partner with LGBT+ community resources and leaders.

These programs are for adults, including:

Mammography clinics
Education about differences in cancer treatment outcomes, in partnership with local entertainers
Tobacco-free campaigns, including access to our tobacco cessation program
HPV Education & Vaccination Day
Skin cancer awareness & education partnerships

For more information or to get involved call 216.444.7505 or email us at TaussigCommunityOutreach@ccf.org.

Cancer Community Outreach has several cancer screening programs that occur in the communities served by Cleveland Clinic. Learn more about our programs below.

Health Within Reach (HWIR)

Health Within Reach (HWIR) is an annual, mission-driven event hosted at the Taussig Cancer Center by Community Outreach and Patient Navigation to support Cleveland Clinic employees who are uninsured or underinsured. It was created to ensure all employees and their families have access to life-saving preventive care regardless of insurance status.

Goals of HWIR are to help eliminate cost, access, and awareness barriers by delivering on-site cancer screenings and prevention education that empower employees to take proactive steps toward their health.

Services offered (at no cost, on-site):

Mammograms
Pap/HPV testing
Lung cancer screening
PSA testing
Dental and vision screenings
Colonoscopy
Navigation assistance
Additional preventive and wellness services

Health Within Reach reflects a strong commitment to fairness and compassion, expanding access to cancer screenings and strengthening the health and well-being of our workforce and their families.

Community Days of Health

The Community Day of Health is a comprehensive health fair held at Cleveland Clinic facilities that provides accessible preventive health services to the community. The event offers on-site cancer screenings and additional health services in a convenient, community-based setting to promote early detection and overall wellness.

Goals of the Community Day of Health are to increase access to preventive health screenings, promote early detection of cancer and other conditions, reduce barriers to care, and connect community members to ongoing primary and specialty services.

Services provided:

On-site mammograms
HPV/Pap tests (cervical cancer screening)
PSA testing and prostate health education
Lung Cancer shared medical appointments
Additional health screenings and services offered by participating departments
Referral and follow-up coordination as needed

Additional locations in Canton, Lorain, Mansfield, and Sandusky are being strategically planned throughout the region to expand access and ensure equitable availability of screening services for all communities and individuals we serve.

Annual United Against Cancer

The 5th Annual United Against Cancer is a collaborative, multi-health system community outreach event held in downtown Elyria. The initiative aims to increase cancer screening awareness, reduce access barriers, and connect residents to comprehensive oncology services available across the region.

Goals of the United Against Cancer Event are to improve community awareness of evidence-based cancer screening guidelines, increase screening appointment scheduling and follow-through, reduce disparities in underserved populations, promote early detection and prevention, and strengthen collaboration among regional health systems to advance equitable cancer care.

Services offered:

Education on breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, cervical, and skin cancer screenings
On-site appointment scheduling
Insurance and financial assistance information
Patient navigation support
Information on local cancer treatment and survivorship services

Together, we are united to increase awareness, improve early detection, and strengthen the health of our community.

Patient Navigation

The Cleveland Clinic Cancer Community Outreach Patient Navigation Program is a resource for community partners, physicians, patients, and caregivers to provide assistance with accessing clinical services and resources offered at Cleveland Clinic and in the community. Outreach Navigation begins in the Community. Outreach Navigators will begin working with patients before screening and continue until completion of screening exams.

Outreach Patient Navigators

Focus on providing members of the community access to care, specifically cancer screening and follow up.
Attend outreach or community events to identify community members who are in need of screening or cancer follow up.
Navigate patients referred by Community Partners via the Navigation Partner Referral Line.
Identify and resolve barriers related to cancer screening and follow up.
Accompany patients to initial appointments during screening and diagnosis (upon request).
Identify financial and/or insurance barriers, then work with the team of Financial Navigators to assist the patient.
Enter the patient’s follow up information into the navigation database for follow-up of recommended future screenings (i.e. yearly, 6 months).

For more information, email us at TaussigCommOutreach@CCF.org or call 216.444.7505.

Research Education

The Community Outreach Research program was developed to educate the community on cancer clinical trials and the importance of participation from individuals from all backgrounds. As the fight to cure cancer continues, clinical trials are the key to ensuring new treatments and therapies are safe and effective. It is important for members of all social and ethnic populations to participate in clinical trials. Without participants from different backgrounds and experiences, researchers are unable to conclude if a new treatment is truly effective.

The community outreach research coordinators work with both the research department and the community outreach team to answer questions on clinical trials, build trust within the community and shine a positive light on research.

The goals of the program include:

Provide the community with a positive research experience by hosting research studies in the community.
Provide education on clinical trials to answer questions, dispel myths and address fears.
Learn more about the communities we serve to better assess barriers to cancer screening and care.
Empower community members to make informed decisions regarding clinical trial participation.

For more information or to get involved, contact Natasha Patel, pateln6@ccf.org.

Community Partners

The Cleveland Clinic Cancer Community Outreach Team strives to preserve our mission to decrease differences in health outcomes by breaking down barriers to care, improving access to care, and promoting and providing screening and prevention tools to the community. The dedication and commitment of our partners enhances the community’s ability to access affordable cancer screenings. Our partners provide access, resources, and recommendations for patients to receive cancer screenings. Through successful partnerships, cancer screening rates have increased in many of our communities that face limited access to services.

We are always accepting new community partnerships that are concerned about the well-being of our communities, willing to collaborate with healthcare programming, and make real positive change throughout the Greater Cleveland area. Some examples of successful partnerships include barbershops/ beauty salons, faith-based organizations, community establishments, government leaders, and more! As a partner, we will ask you to assist with volunteers, event hosting and promotion, cancer awareness programming, speaking opportunities, and providing access to educational resources/materials.

For more information on partnership opportunities, email us at TaussigCommOutreach@CCF.org or call 216.445.6055.

Our Team