Komen Greater NYC and the Biden Cancer Initiative

Linda Tantawi, CEO, Susan G Komen Greater NYC, was among the New York city, state and not-for-profit professionals who met with Vice President Joe Biden at the WeWork Cancer Collaboration Hub in New York City to discuss ways to work collectively with the Biden Cancer Initiative to explore gaps in cancer detection and treatment, identify solutions to address them and inject the urgency of now to make progress.

The Vice President called for reducing disparities in access to care, urging those gathered to tackle systemic issues impeding progress. He asked for greater transparency among medical institutions and the willingness to share data. He was clear that we can no longer accept disparities, unaffordable treatments, and unaffordable health care.

The Vice President acknowledged the essential role of nurse navigators to improving patient care and equal access. Vice President Biden asked those gathered to work together so “We can make hope real, increase survival rates, cure some cancers, and make care available to all." He recalled an old friend who always told him we have to know how to know. Vice President Biden further elaborated, "And we have to teach patients how to know.”