Addressing Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Immigrant Health & Cancer Disparities Service
About Us
IHCD Celebrates a Decade at MSK
Addressing Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Working with Diverse Communities
Eliminating Language and Cultural Barriers to Care
Increasing Diversity in Cancer Research
Reducing Health Risk in Immigrants & Minorities

Addressing Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

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Social and economic barriers have been linked to incomplete treatment and decreased quality of life for immigrants and minorities with cancer. Many patients with cancer experience difficulty paying for rent, food, and other necessities due to the financial toxicity associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Financial toxicity encompasses the overlapping ways that cancer erodes financial stability, which include job loss, decreased income, increased medical and non-medical spending, and anxiety about money. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service operates a number of programs aimed at reducing the levels of financial toxicity among medically underserved cancer patients and survivors. These programs are designed to provide direct case management and nutritional support to patients, while advocating at all levels for increased resources for and advocacy around this patient population.

Integrated Cancer Care Access Network

We offer case management services for immigrants with cancer at 12 hospitals in New York City and Long Island, and conduct research to identify and alleviate the most significant barriers to successful cancer treatment.

Food to Overcome Outcome Disparities

VIDEO | 02:24

MSK FOOD Program Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

The FOOD Program at MSK has helped improve the health and well-being of patients who are food insecure.
Video Details

We operate a network of food pantries co-located in cancer treatment centers to provide medically tailored food items to food insecure cancer patients.

The Coalition for Housing and Health

Learn about the Coalition for Housing and Health, which aims to address the pressing housing needs of New Yorkers with cancer, renal disease, diabetes, chronic heart disease, and other serious medical conditions.

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  6. Gany, F., Leng, J., Ramirez, J., Phillips, S., Aragones, A., Roberts, N., Mujawar, M., Costas-Muñiz, R. (2016). Health-Related Quality of Life of Food Insecure Ethnic Minority Cancer Patients. Journal of Oncology Practice. 2016 Jan;12(1):98. PubMed PMID: 26286100; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4575404. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=26286100
  7. Ayash C, Costas-Muñiz R, Badreddine D, Ramirez J, Gany F. An Investigation of Unmet Socio-economic Needs among Arab American Breast Cancer Patients Compared with other Immigrant and Migrant Patients. J Community Health. 2017 Jul 1. 
  8. Costas-Muñiz, R., Leng, J., Aragones, A., Ramirez, J., Roberts, N., Mujawar, M., Gany, F. (2015). Association of Socio-economic and Practical Unmet Needs with Self-reported Nonadherence to Cancer Treatment Appointments in Low-income Latino and Black Cancer Patients. Journal of Ethnicity and Health. 2016;21(2):118- 28. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2015.1034658. Epub 2015 May 19. PubMed PMID: 25989483; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4653085. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25989483
  9. Costas-Muñiz, R., Diamond, L., Leng, J., Aragones, A., Ramirez, J., Gany, F. (2015). Psychosocial Correlates of Appointment Keeping in Immigrant Cancer Patients. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 2015;33(2):107-23. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2014.992084. Epub 2015 Jan 9. PubMed PMID: 25574581; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4876631. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25574581
  10. Gany, F., Leng, J., Ramirez, J., Phillips, S., Aragones, A., Roberts, N., Mujawar, M., Costas-Muñiz, R. (2016). Health-Related Quality of Life of Food Insecure Ethnic Minority Cancer Patients. Journal of Oncology Practice. 2016 Jan;12(1):98. PubMed PMID: 26286100; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4575404. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=26286100
  11. Ayash C, Costas-Muñiz R, Badreddine D, Ramirez J, Gany F. An Investigation of Unmet Socio-economic Needs among Arab American Breast Cancer Patients Compared with other Immigrant and Migrant Patients. J Community Health. 2017 Jul 1.