Connecticut-based non-profit Project Purple is providing a $750,000 grant to Hartford HealthCare to create the largest high-risk pancreatic cancer screening program statewide. This grant is the largest philanthropic donation to pancreatic cancer research efforts that has been made in Connecticut to date.
“We are so excited to be partnering with Hartford HealthCare and to be able to partner with the state’s leading healthcare system,” Project Purple CEO and Founder Dino Verrelli said, addressing the audience at a check presentation on November 12.
“It’s truly amazing to be all over the state,” Verrelli continued, referencing the statewide impact and accessibility that Hartford HealthCare provides to patients all across Connecticut.
According to Verrelli, a major factor in choosing to provide the grant to Hartford HealthCare is the hospital’s wide reach across The Nutmeg State. This would include communities that often face disparate care. Hartford HealthCare President & CEO Jeffrey Flaks highlighted this point.
“We see this grant as an investment. We’re both very honored and very humbled to receive this and we recognize the investment Project Purple is making in this partnership and what it means. And we intend to fulfill that full ambition,” Flaks said. “This is about providing healthcare for all. This is about ensuring no person is left behind and no community is left behind. And to ensure that every resident in the state of Connecticut has access to world-class healthcare.”
This grant will fund the first five years of the High-Risk Pancreatic Cancer Program (HRPCP), which aims to screen high-risk patients effectively to improve outcomes and overall survival rates. The program will implement proactive measures for overall health and the potential risk of pancreatic cancer, screening and monitoring high-risk patients within Hartford HealthCare systems and intervening at the time of diagnosis. The program will also track screening strategies, including modalities, patient compliance, and frequencies.
Among the speakers at the grant presentation was Jay Buth, a survivor of pancreatic cancer who joined Project Purple’s Board of Directors.
“I strongly believe that focusing on high-risk patients through a unified and comprehensive approach can lead to earlier detection of pancreatic cancer and ultimately improve survival outcomes,” Buth said.
Buth’s speech was especially meaningful to members of the Hartford HealthCare staff as he received his care from Hartford HealthCare during his pancreatic cancer battle.
“I have the very special privilege of introducing one of our own patients. He tugs at my heartstrings and he has generously come here to share his story,” Dr. Lindsay Ann Bliss, Surgical Oncologist, said in her introduction of Buth. “Jay is an incredible member of our community.“
Other notable speakers included Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Hartford HealthCare Vice President of Philanthropy Lynn Rossini, as well as Bret Schipper, MD, FACS, CPE, Vice President, Hartford HealthCare, Co-Physician in Chief of the Digestive Health Institute, and Chief of Surgical Oncology for Hartford Hospital and Central Region.
The goals of the program include increasing screening to 75% of high-risk patients, completing recommended evaluations in 90% of accepting patients, reaching 100% referral to appropriate interventions with pre-cancerous or cancerous patients, and reaching patients and patient providers with information sessions. The programs also aim to increase accessibility, as PDAC treatment outcomes and treatment differ from patient to patient based on socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, and geographic range.
While proud of this grant, Project Purple’s Dino Verrelli is already focused on the next step and the potential for an even wider impact.
“It’s incredibly meaningful to create an impact in our home state,” Verrelli later said, “The overarching mission here is to create a statewide model that services everyone. Beyond that, we want this program to become a blueprint that can be applied to other states nationwide. It’s an honor to see Connecticut lead the way.”
