Cancer Advocacy Infrastructure

The system was not
built for this moment.
We are.

The RIM Project trains and embeds cancer advocates inside oncology care — from diagnosis forward — so that no one navigates the most disorienting moment of their life alone, unheard, or unseen. We go where the gaps are widest.

R I M W A R D
40%
higher cancer mortality among certain populations — gaps that persist across income levels, documented across decades
1 in 3
cancer patients report feeling unprepared to navigate treatment decisions and system complexity at diagnosis
0
standard models for reimbursed, community-accountable cancer advocacy embedded at point of diagnosis
Our Mission

Advocacy at the
point of diagnosis.

"What the system owes is not charity. It is accuracy, accountability, and presence."

The RIM Project builds cancer advocacy infrastructure — not just resources. We train advocates who speak the language of oncology, understand the complexity of pain management, and know how to challenge insurance denials without losing the patient's trust in the process.

This work was born from lived experience: watching family members move through a system that named them patients before it named them people. We are building what should have always existed.

🌱
Embedded Advocacy
Trained advocates placed within oncology care settings from the moment of diagnosis — not referred out, not optional.
📋
Whole-Person Care
Advocacy that accounts for the full context of a patient's life — geography, economics, access, and history — because outcomes are shaped by far more than clinical decisions.
⚖️
Policy Accountability
A policy framework that connects individual patient experience to systemic reform — from clinical trial eligibility to reimbursement pathways.
🔗
Research Partnerships
International research collaborations and community-based surveillance to generate the granular, population-specific data that effective advocacy demands.
How We Work

Built for the gap
others design around.

Most health advocacy efforts name the problem. The RIM Project builds the infrastructure to address it — from training to reimbursement to policy reform.

01 / Train
Train Advocates
We develop a rigorous curriculum that prepares cancer advocates to navigate clinical environments, insurance systems, pain management conversations, and family dynamics — all at once.
02 / Embed
Embed in Care
Advocates are embedded inside oncology practices and cancer centers — not siloed in a waiting room. Presence at the appointment changes what gets said, documented, and done.
03 / Build
Build the Case
Every interaction generates data. We aggregate patient experience, outcome tracking, and system failures into the evidence base for reimbursement reform, policy change, and institutional accountability.
Policy Framework

Six pillars.
One demand.

Our founding policy document — What the System Owes — identifies six structural reforms required to close documented gaps in cancer outcomes across American communities.

Pillar I
Clinical Trial Eligibility Reform
Clinical trial exclusion criteria have historically filtered out the patients most in need — based on geography, comorbidities, and access barriers. We advocate for eligibility redesign centered on inclusion.
Pillar II
Disaggregated Outcome Reporting
Aggregate data hides the populations bearing the heaviest burden. Mandating population-level outcome reporting — by geography, socioeconomic status, and community context — is the minimum condition for accountability.
Pillar III
Pain Management Accountability
Documented patterns of under-treatment in pain assessment are not isolated failures — they are structural, measurable, and correctable. We advocate for standardized protocols, outcome tracking, and institutional accountability.
Pillar IV
Community-Based Surveillance
Cancer data that doesn't reach communities doesn't serve them. We build surveillance infrastructure anchored in the communities carrying the highest burden — not extracted from them and processed elsewhere.
Pillar V
Oncology Workforce Diversification
A workforce that reflects the full range of communities it serves produces better outcomes. We advocate for pipeline investment, mentorship infrastructure, and structural change at every level of oncology.
Pillar VI
Legal Accountability Reform
Patients harmed by documented failures in standard of care currently have limited recourse. We support policy frameworks that create institutional accountability for measurable, preventable outcome gaps.

"Nobody told us what the stages meant. Nobody explained what to ask. We figured it out too late, and we deserved better."

Family member of a cancer patient — the experience that built this organization

Get Involved

This is infrastructure.
We're building it together.

Whether you are a clinician, a community organizer, a researcher, or someone who has lived through a cancer diagnosis in your family — there is a place for you here.

Advocates
Become a Cancer Advocate

We are building our inaugural training cohort. If you have experience in health advocacy, social work, community organizing, or patient navigation — and you understand what it costs when people are left to navigate a complex system without support — we want to hear from you.

Express Interest
Partners
Partner With Us

We are seeking clinical partners, community organizations, researchers, and philanthropic funders who understand that closing outcome gaps in cancer care requires structural change — not just awareness. Let's build something permanent.

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