Fred Hutch Cancer Center is committed to partnering with our community to create longer, healthier and richer lives for our patients and everyone living in our service area of Washington state. This work in the community is an extension of our core mission.
We devoted $147 million, 7.1% of our operational costs, to community benefit activities in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). A significant portion of this funding extended our high-quality clinical services to those who could not otherwise afford them, providing subsidized care and offering needed services at a financial loss. We also invested in publicly available research, community health improvement services aimed at reducing the burden of cancer among populations experiencing greater barriers to care, and education opportunities for current and future health care professionals.
At Fred Hutch, our mission to eliminate cancer and related diseases is grounded in the belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality care. This year, we’ve strengthened our work alongside communities across the region to expand opportunities for prevention, early detection and treatment — especially in places where barriers to care have long existed. By building trust and working in partnership, we’re reaching more people and reducing the gaps that affect health outcomes. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident in the path forward as we continue to ensure that lifesaving care reaches all who need it.
— Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr.
1. Priority Areas
Fred Hutch’s current Community Benefit priorities are informed by the
2022 Community Health Needs Assessment.
- Advancing health equity
- Providing culturally-attuned prevention, education and screening
- Delivering access to affordable and attainable comprehensive care
Our Community Benefit Implementation Plan also provides more detailed goals and objectives for addressing the community’s cancer-related health needs.
3. Financial Assistance and Means-Tested Government Programs
$52.7 million of Fred Hutch's community benefit investment supported financial assistance to those who are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise unable to pay for their health care. This also includes reimbursed costs for providing care to patients enrolled in government-sponsored programs.
3,030
Community Health Education
Fred Hutch participates in numerous community events and health fairs across Washington state to promote cancer prevention, screening and vaccine education. We collaborate with community-based organizations to connect with populations that face barriers to care. We also provide educational events for patients, families and survivors on specific cancer diagnoses including information about research, treatment, survivorship and supportive care.
Fred Hutch participated in more than 130 educational events in FY24. View examples of some of these events below.
Health & Wellness Festival
Every year Fred Hutch hosts a Health and Wellness Festival in honor of Minority Health Awareness Month in south Seattle. We invite community partners who can offer health screenings and information relevant to Asian, Hispanic, and Black community members in Seattle.
Colorectal Cancer Community Awareness Event
During the month of March, Fred Hutch hosts an annual community awareness event about colorectal cancer (CRC).
The 2024 CRC event was featured in two news articles:
Moving Beyond Cancer Event
This annual Fred Hutch event offers education on a variety of the late-and long-term effects faced by cancer survivors after treatment. Patients, survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and health care professionals are invited to attend.
The həliʔil Program
Fred Hutch's həliʔil Program promotes non-ceremonial tobacco cessation and lung cancer screening in tribal nations. Engaged in 19 outreach events with Tribal and Urban Indian communities, reaching over 2,500 individuals through health education, resource sharing, and strengthened partnerships.
Cancer Health Equity NOW Podcast
Fred Hutch's Office of Community Outreach and Engagement hosted podcast episodes to bring community voices together to share work in cancer-related research, cultural humility, personal experiences, and evidence informed practices that discuss improving health outcomes for all and amplifying the excellent work being done across communities in Washington state. Seven podcasts were produced, covering topics from sun safety in Washington State to insights from the Women’s Health Initiative.
Community-Based Clinical Services
To improve access to care, Fred Hutch provides breast and colorectal cancer screening programs for community members.
Mammogram Van
We partner with community-based organizations, health clinics and corporations to bring our state-of-the-art van all over the greater Seattle area to reach underserved communities.
- 5,932 mammograms completed in FY24
Population Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Program
Through a collaborative effort between Fred Hutch and UW Medicine, we launched a colorectal cancer screening program with a focus on mailing fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) to all UW Medicine patients.
In 2024, 40% (5,993/14,821) of patients who received a FIT kit completed colorectal cancer screening.
Educational materials and mailings were distributed in 11 languages.
Health Care Support Services
Fred Hutch provides support services to help enhance access to care for individuals facing challenges in obtaining health services.
Patient Navigation Program
Patient navigators provide individualized assistance to patients, families and caregivers to help overcome health care system barriers and facilitate timely access to qualified medical and psychosocial care. In FY24, we served 2,807 patients.
Donated Family Assistance Fund
Our Donated Family Assistance Fund provides assistance for patients needing support with needs such as shelter, food and transportation.
In FY24, we served 266 patients and provided a total of $426,876 through the Donated Family Assistance Fund.
Financial Counselors
We assist patients with Washington State Department of Social and Health Services applications, charity applications and financial assistance.
Financial counseling approved 3,030 patient applications in FY24. This is an increase from FY23 due to Washington state’s requirement of expanding financial assistance to out-of-state and out-of-country patients.
5. Health Professions Education
Fred Hutch invested $12.4 million to train medical professionals in the community in the advanced care and patient support we provide, so we can share our expertise and expand our reach beyond our immediate patient population. This includes graduate medical education for residents and fellows, nursing students and other health care professionals such as social workers and lab technicians.
Dr. Kathleen Shannon Dorcy, Director of Research, Scholarships & Ethics, participates in a group activity at the nursing leadership retreat.
Project Director Dr ShangJu Li provides training to attendees during the MOSAAIC CCFC Clinic Visit Training meeting.
Nathaniel Carter, with Canfield Scientific, provides training for a recently installed Whole Body Imaging system to the nursing staff in the Wellness Center.
Dr. Kathleen Shannon Dorcy, Director of Research, Scholarships & Ethics, participates in a group activity at the nursing leadership retreat.
Project Director Dr ShangJu Li provides training to attendees during the MOSAAIC CCFC Clinic Visit Training meeting.
Nathaniel Carter, with Canfield Scientific, provides training for a recently installed Whole Body Imaging system to the nursing staff in the Wellness Center.
6. Research
Alongside research grants and other donations, Fred Hutch contributed $78.2 million to produce some of the most important breakthroughs in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, HIV and other diseases. Precision oncology, immune modification and the intersection of data, technology and science continue to be where we’re looking beyond what is possible today to transform the research and care landscape.
Fred Hutch research by the numbers in FY24:
300+
200+
40+
Community-based Research
Fred Hutch prioritizes partnering with community members, especially those who are disproportionately affected by cancer, at every stage of the research continuum. This approach provides opportunities for community members and researchers to learn from each other while building trust based on the shared goal of improving cancer outcomes.
The Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) is a research institute at Fred Hutch that strives to improve cancer prevention, detection and treatment in ways that will reduce the economic and human burden of cancer — and ultimately lead to better outcomes for patients. To achieve this, HICOR brings together researchers, patient partners, clinicians, payers and policymakers to share cancer-related data and generate clinically relevant performance metrics that can guide improvements in cancer care.
Community Grants Program
In FY24, ten organizations were funded through the Fred Hutch Community Grants Program to ensure fair and just access to the medical care each community needs. Each organization received a grant of up to $15,000 to develop and implement an innovative project that addresses a significant health disparity within each community served.
8. Community-Building Activities
Fred Hutch devoted $151,514 to community-building activities that encourage conversation, collaboration and advocacy to address the public health needs of Washington state residents. We build and maintain strong and trusted external relationships with many communities to support improved health outcomes for all.
Some of these activities include:
Pathways to Equity Symposium
In an effort to bridge community and the research that goes on at Fred Hutch, we host an annual symposium to provide a forum for community organizations and researchers to learn from each other. Read about the 2024 symposium.
Indigenous Cancer Health Equity Initiative (ICHE-i)
Fred Hutch's ICHE-i is a new effort to address the high burden of cancer incidence and mortality in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the state of Washington. It utilizes relationality, sustainability and holistic approaches to support the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium’s capacity to cultivate tribal, academic, research partnerships, center Tribal Sovereignty and increase Indigenous patient advocacy for cancer health equity among tribes and Urban Indian Organizations in the state.
Community Coalitions
Fred Hutch’s Office of Outreach and Engagement works with community members and organizations through community coalitions to support sustainable cancer care programs and build capacity for research collaboration. Coalition members provide insights from their lived experience and organizational roles to facilitate understanding of community specific cancer prevention and control needs. Together, we work to reduce cancer disparities for residents in Washington state. These coalitions span the state and include:
- Western Washington (Seattle) Community Action Coalition
- Central Washington (Sunnyside) Community Action Board
- Eastern Washington (Spokane) Community Action Network of Eastern Washington
- Community Action Plan of Washington Statewide Coalition