Vice President Biden emphasized the importance of hospital networks working together to provide equal access to quality care for all patients.
"As little as six years ago, oncologists weren’t working routinely with immunologists, virologists, geneticists, chemical engineers," Biden said. "We know now, that collaboration is the key to innovation. But our systems are ill-equipped to reward collaboration."
Biden also noted that one key goal of the initiative is to remove bureaucratic and systemic barriers that prevent patients from getting fast access to the best care, as well as the newest drugs available.
"It’s about injecting the urgency of now into this fight," Biden said. "Not tomorrow, not in two hours, now. And it’s about changing the culture… coming up with a new strategy for this fight."
Local Northeast Ohio projects involved in the Cancer Moonshot initiative include efforts in smoking cessation, HPV vaccination, and identifying new immunotherapies.