Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah has received a federal contract award that will broaden access to specialized cancer care for Utah's rural and frontier patients.
"Huntsman Cancer Institute has a vast area to support across the Mountain West. Rather than having our patients come to us, whenever possible, we want to find ways to go to them," says Kathi Mooney, PhD, RN the principal investigator, co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and distinguished professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah.
This award will allow us to provide as much cancer care as possible in these communities and find scalable ways to expand and reach more of our patients."
Kathi Mooney, Principal Investigator, Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute
The five-year research project was awarded by the ARPA-H PARADIGM program, which was established to improve medical care in rural and frontier communities. Living far from a major health system can create access challenges for patients. Rural residents who develop cancer, for example, are 10% more likely to die from the disease than their urban counterparts.
Mooney says Huntsman Cancer Institute will accomplish the program objectives by building upon its existing Huntsman at Home™ program. Huntsman at Home is a hospital-at-home cancer model that provides a range of services, including acute medical and post-surgical care for adult oncology patients. In 2020, the highly effective program expanded to three of Utah's rural and frontier counties-Grand, Emery, and Carbon. The rural program operates through valued partnerships with local home health agencies and hospitals.
Patients in these three counties will receive certain cancer care services through the implementation of a specially outfitted mobile vehicle, one of the main components of the ARPA-H PARADIGM program. The mobile medical vehicle is planned to be outfitted with advanced and innovative testing, imaging and treatment capabilities, Mooney says.
"The mobile vehicle will be an extension of Huntsman Cancer Institute," says Mooney. "We will deliver Huntsman-quality care, just in a different way than by walking into an urban-based cancer center or oncology program. Through advanced technology and telehealth, patients will receive care in their communities while remaining closely linked to their oncology team at Huntsman Cancer Institute."
Mooney says the program will also enable more rural and frontier patients to take part in cancer clinical trials. Clinical trials evaluate new treatments that could improve current standard treatments and provide patients access to the latest therapies.
"For patients in these three counties to drive to our flagship Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, it could be a two to four hour drive each way," says Mooney. "The travel times add an additional burden, and the expanded Huntsman at Home program will provide an opportunity for these patients to access some of their cancer care, monitoring, and treatments in their own communities."
As part of the program, Mooney and her team will conduct a clinical effectiveness study to monitor care outcomes, patient and community satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness.
"We are excited to see how this program will unfold in these three Utah counties, and we will work closely with local health and community leaders to design the services and patient experience while receiving care in the mobile vehicle," says Mooney. "We believe this could become a preferred approach to cancer care for patients and their families in rural and frontier communities and a sustainable and efficient way to scale cancer care elsewhere in the region. Eventually it could become the model for specialty care for other chronic diseases as well."
Huntsman Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West. The institute is a hub for specialized treatment for rural and frontier residents in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
"We are thrilled about the federal support for this groundbreaking research project, which will bring innovative care to our underserved rural communities," says Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, cancer center director at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of population health sciences at the University of Utah. "Huntsman Cancer Institute is an NCI-funded cancer center whose mission is to serve communities in the Mountain West. Our researchers strive to overcome barriers for people who live far from cancer care-this project shows how together we can make a difference."
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