In 2005, the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care (RLCCC) was established in partnership with the nation’s leading cancer center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City. The Ralph Lauren Center, the only outpatient facility of its kind in Harlem, is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides high quality, compassionate cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment to all—regardless of personal circumstances. Every year, the Ralph Lauren Center treats over 4,000 patients and reaches over 3,000 community members with risk reduction education.
Specialists at the Ralph Lauren Center make treatment possible for a wide range of cancers, and all patients have access to additional on-site services including psychotherapy and pain management, as well as treatment of rare cancers through referrals to Memorial Sloan Kettering and other hospitals. The Ralph Lauren Center provides cancer prevention education and health information to the Harlem community and beyond, and works diligently to effect reform in national healthcare policy, focusing especially on changes in reimbursement for those that provide care to minority, low income and underinsured patients.
One of the cornerstones of the Ralph Lauren Center is the patient navigation program pioneered by Dr. Harold Freeman, Founder of the Ralph Lauren Center. The Ralph Lauren Center has expanded its navigation efforts to include clinical nurse navigators, who assist patients from the time of diagnosis through survivorship. Nurse navigators provide much needed education, referrals and support with the goal of reducing hospitalizations, increasing treatment compliance and completion and enhancing quality of life and survivorship, ultimately reducing disparities in care and improving treatment outcomes.
The Ralph Lauren Center is an extension of Ralph Lauren’s ongoing commitment to cancer research and care. More than 20 years ago, after his close friend and Washington Post fashion editor, Nina Hyde, was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ralph Lauren made a commitment to focus his philanthropic efforts on improving care for this devastating disease. In 1990, he co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University Medical Center and in 1994, he led the fashion industry in its support of breast cancer research by working with the Council of Fashion Designers of America to launch Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a charitable initiative that focuses on raising public awareness and funds for the breast cancer cause. In 2014, Ralph Lauren partnered with The Royal Marsden, the largest and most comprehensive cancer center in Europe, to fund a state-of-the-art breast cancer research facility called The Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research.
The Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care
1919 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10035
(212) 987-1777