How the American Cancer Society Supports Patient Navigation

The American Cancer Society (ACS) believes patient navigation is critical to improving access to care for everyone. Navigation can remove barriers and improve access to care through patient-centered support from screening through survivorship.

ACS leads and funds efforts to build navigation programs, promotes public policy to support navigation, and studies the role and benefits of navigation.

ACS CARES^TM (Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support) connects people with cancer and their caregivers to information and resources chosen for each person’s needs through the ACS CARES^TM app. This is the only app that equips people facing cancer with curated content, programs, and services, and connects them with trained ACS team members and volunteers for one-on-one support.  

ACS Patient Navigation Roundtable shares research and best practices that support patient navigation, helps define navigator roles, and provides resources to help cancer navigation programs continue.

ACS Patient Navigation Initiative gives grants, education, and support to 20 health systems that provide care to historically excluded populations.

ACS Global BEACON Initiative provides training, support, and grants for patient navigation in low- and middle–income countries.

ACS CAN’s policy priorities include supporting navigation with a multi-year campaign to get Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance coverage and payment for patient navigators.

ACS Health Equity Ambassadors work in their local communities to provide education for African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and rural populations on cancer prevention and early detection.

ACS LION (Leadership in Oncology Navigation) provides patient navigation training and credentialing to support the professional patient navigation workforce.