Doctor Tries to Break Cancer-Poverty Link
March 14, 2007
A doctor at New York’s Harlem Hospital says poverty increases the risk of dying of cancer.
Dr. Harold Freeman told CBS News that along with poor living conditions, the poor have less social support, less knowledge and less education.
Poverty should not be an offense that is punishable by death, he told CBS.
Freeman pioneered a patient navigation program that encourages screening and helps find financial assistance to help pay for the treatment.
The program has helped boost the five-year survival rate for breast cancer in Harlem from 39 to 70 percent, CBS said.