In a VTDigger commentary published in November for Rural Health Awareness, UVM Cancer Center Director Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine, says, “Cancer shouldn’t be harder to fight just because you live in a small, rural community. It’s time to change that and make Vermont a model for rural cancer care nationwide.”
Dr. Holcombe writes, “Nationwide, rural patients are more likely to die from cancer than those in cities. That’s not acceptable. At the UVM Cancer Center, our mission is to reduce the burden of cancer for everyone in Vermont and northern New York. That means making sure people in every corner of our catchment area, especially those in rural communities, have access to expert, academic-level cancer care … We believe our efforts will improve the quality of care, reduce the burden of cancer on patients, and lower overall health care costs.”
“Cancer shouldn’t be harder to fight just because you live in a small, rural community. It’s time to change that and make Vermont a model for rural cancer care nationwide.” — Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A.