Foundations
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from U.S. foundations.
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Stand Up To Cancer Announces Recently Funded Teams Focusing on Lung Cancer Disparities and KRAS Mutant Cancers
LOS ANGELES, California, May 26 (TNSres) -- The Entertainment Industry Foundation's Stand Up To Cancer issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Stand Up To Cancer(R) (SU2C) today announced two new teams, the SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team with support from Bristol Myers Squibb and "SU2C Catalyst(R) with support from Mirati Therapeutics." Both teams build on important work being done by unique SU2C research programs focused on improving cancer health equity and bringing new and innovative therapies to patients faster.
"SU2C is committed to supporting the cutting-edge research
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LOS ANGELES, California, May 26 (TNSres) -- The Entertainment Industry Foundation's Stand Up To Cancer issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Stand Up To Cancer(R) (SU2C) today announced two new teams, the SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team with support from Bristol Myers Squibb and "SU2C Catalyst(R) with support from Mirati Therapeutics." Both teams build on important work being done by unique SU2C research programs focused on improving cancer health equity and bringing new and innovative therapies to patients faster.
"SU2C is committed to supporting the cutting-edge researchefforts of talented investigators. We are excited to announce these two new teams as they investigate ways to improve cancer outcomes in unique ways," said Russell Chew, president and CEO of Stand Up To Cancer. "As we continue to build upon our research portfolio, funding teams that are focused on health equity and improving therapies in a clinical setting is critical to saving more lives."
The recently funded teams are:
* The SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team - The team is supported by Bristol Myers Squibb and will investigate the biological determinants of poor lung cancer outcomes and lung cancer disparities within Black communities in the southeastern region of the United States. Robert A. Winn, MD, director of the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, will serve as the team's leader and Marvella Ford, PhD, director of Community Engagement at the Hollings Cancer Center at Medical University of South Carolina will be the team's co-leader. The team will establish the Southeastern Consortium for Lung Cancer Health Equity to facilitate scientific collaborations among investigators at three National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers. Despite recent progress in treating lung cancer, the disease remains the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the U.S. and represents nearly 25% of all cancer deaths. Mortality rates are higher than the national average in the southeastern region of the U.S. and are particularly high in rural communities and among Black men. Black men are about 15% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men.
* SU2C Catalyst(R) Team with support from Mirati Therapeutics - The team is supported by Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRTX), a clinical-stage targeted oncology company. This team's research will develop new approaches to treat patients with KRAS-mutant cancers, which is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer. Ryan Corcoran, MD, PhD, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center Program and the scientific director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, will serve as the team's leader and Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, deputy chair of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will serve as the team's co-leader. The KRAS gene makes a protein involved in cellular growth and proliferation. In KRAS-mutant cancers, the protein is continually activated, which can cause cancers to grow and spread. KRAS proteins were once considered undruggable, but recent research advances have resulted in the identification and development of investigational drugs against cancers that have specific KRAS mutations. The team's research will explore with adagrasib, Mirati's investigational, highly selective, and potent oral small-molecule inhibitor of KRASG12Cwhy some patients do not respond to KRAS inhibitors and develop new treatment strategies to increase the number of patients who could benefit from this promising investigational therapy.
To learn more about SU2C's Health Equity Initiative, which aims to increase diversity in cancer clinical trials, initiate advocacy group collaborations and awareness campaigns, and fund research to improve cancer outcomes and screening rates in medically underserved communities, visit StandUpToCancer.org/HealthEquity.
To learn more about the SU2C Catalyst program, which encourages collaborative research between academics and companies to shorten the time it takes to get new treatments to patients, visit StandUpToCancer.org/Catalyst.
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View links showing in text here: https://standuptocancer.org/press/stand-up-to-cancer-announces-recently-funded-teams-focusing-on-lung-cancer-disparities-and-kras-mutant-cancers/
Prosperity Now Grieves Alongside Victims and Residents of Uvalde, Texas
WASHINGTON, May 26 (TNStalk) -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) issued the following statement on May 25, 2022:
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A gunman in Uvalde, Texas, shot and killed 19 elementary school children and two teachers on Monday.
"Prosperity Now is stunned and deeply saddened at yet another mass shooting carried out in our communities, this time at an elementary school in Texas.
"Our most heartfelt condolences and support go out to the residents of Uvalde, Texas and Uvalde County. We join everyone in the country in mourning these tragic murders, which have brought
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WASHINGTON, May 26 (TNStalk) -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) issued the following statement on May 25, 2022:
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A gunman in Uvalde, Texas, shot and killed 19 elementary school children and two teachers on Monday.
"Prosperity Now is stunned and deeply saddened at yet another mass shooting carried out in our communities, this time at an elementary school in Texas.
"Our most heartfelt condolences and support go out to the residents of Uvalde, Texas and Uvalde County. We join everyone in the country in mourning these tragic murders, which have broughtdevastation to an entire community and sent shockwaves across the state of Texas and the nation.
"The problem of gun violence in this country is a daily community crisis and it should be treated as such. We cannot have full racial and ethnic economic equity until it is fully confronted and remedied."
[Category: Economics]
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Allies Urge White House to Add Race to Environmental Justice Tool
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, May 26 (TNSpol) -- The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and 15 other environmental, water quality, and faith organizations today urged the White House to use race and a more inclusive definition of "disadvantaged" in the tool it will use to determine whether a community qualifies for additional federal resources to address the environmental injustices it faces.
CBF and its partners made their recommendations in comments on the draft Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) the
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ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, May 26 (TNSpol) -- The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and 15 other environmental, water quality, and faith organizations today urged the White House to use race and a more inclusive definition of "disadvantaged" in the tool it will use to determine whether a community qualifies for additional federal resources to address the environmental injustices it faces.
CBF and its partners made their recommendations in comments on the draft Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) theWhite House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) rolled out in February. Federal agencies will use CEJST to identify communities eligible for additional assistance under the administration's Justice40 Initiative. The Initiative's goal is to direct 40 percent of the benefits of federal climate and clean energy investments to under-resourced communities.
CEJST uses 25 environmental, economic, and other metrics to determine whether a community is "disadvantaged" and therefore eligible for Justice40 resources. Metrics include income, proximity to hazardous waste sites, and exposure to diesel exhaust, but not race. The administration said it excluded race to ensure the tool can withstand legal challenges.
The groups noted that President Biden launched a government-wide effort his first day in office to advance racial equity and support communities that historically have lacked resources or been marginalized. "By eliminating race from the data in CEJST," they wrote, "the administration fails to follow its own commitment to recognize that race does play an important part in assessing whether communities are vulnerable to environmental injustices."
The groups also opposed the administration's proposal to raise the bar for deeming a community "disadvantaged," arguing it would undermine the purpose of CEJST by denying federal aid to fight discrimination to many communities that are currently qualify for it.
One glaring example in the watershed is Buckingham County, a rural Virginia community of color founded by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. Friends of Buckingham County, represented by CBF and the Southern Environmental Law Center, successfully challenged a state permit for a natural gas compressor station on the grounds the state failed to meaningfully consider the disproportionate environmental and health threats it posed to the community.
Despite the precedent-setting win for environmental justice advocates two and a half years ago, CJEST would disqualify Buckingham County from receiving federal support to fight environmental injustice.
CBF Environmental Justice Staff Attorney Taylor Lilley issued the following statement:
"As proposed, CEJST fails to adequately identify marginalized communities disproportionately harmed by pollution and would deny support to overburdened communities or overlook them entirely.
"If the Biden administration is serious about its commitment to environmental justice, it must do better. Fighting deeply rooted environmental injustice requires a tool that accurately reflects the pivotal role race plays in determining where environmental injustice occurs.
"CBF urges the administration to incorporate race into CEJST and lower the threshold to qualify for federal resources so the tool it creates to advance environmental justice does not perpetuate it instead."
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The following organizations signed on to CBF's comments:
Blue Water Baltimore
Cacapon Institute
Crab Creek Conservancy
Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek
Friends of Nanticoke River
National Aquarium
PennFuture
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Potomac Conservancy
Restore America's Estuaries
River Network
ShoreRivers
Virginia Conservation Network
Wicomico Environmental Trust
Avera Health, JDRF, and Helmsley Charitable Trust Partner to Provide Virtual Health Care to Schools in Underserved Communities
NEW YORK, May 26 (TNSreact) -- JDRF, a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Avera Health, JDRF, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announce the creation of the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project to address disparities in access to school health care, starting with students living with diabetes. Avera Health is partnering with the telehealth provider Avel eCare to study the impact of delivering virtual school nursing services in medically underserved communities.
The National Association of
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, May 26 (TNSreact) -- JDRF, a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Avera Health, JDRF, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announce the creation of the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project to address disparities in access to school health care, starting with students living with diabetes. Avera Health is partnering with the telehealth provider Avel eCare to study the impact of delivering virtual school nursing services in medically underserved communities.
The National Association ofSchool Nurses (NASN) recommends students have daily access to a full-time RN; yet, only 39% of schools in the U.S. employ a full-time school nurse, and just 35% employ a part-time school nurse. In some rural areas the coverage rate is even lower. eCare School Health provides access to experienced school nurses via live audio-visual technology. Registered nurses assist school staff in caring for students who have chronic health needs or acute health needs (head injuries, allergies, asthma, etc.). When there is a medical issue, within minutes an Avel eCare nurse is available via video to assess the situation and provide stable and continuous support to the school staff member. During the 2020-2021 school year, over 6,300 video visits were conducted serving 50 schools in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
According to Christine Hockett, PhD, Avera Director of Community Research, "This project will also study whether virtual telehealth services within the school setting not only increases the likelihood of students staying in school, but also whether it minimizes the need for parents to take time off from work and decreases healthcare and travel costs."
Due to the lack of nursing care available in many schools, without telehealth, parents are left to give directions to school staff without medical training for students with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. The three-year study will evaluate the effectiveness of the eCare School Health program on outcomes related to diabetes care and management and the quality of life of students with diabetes. The study will also assess the impact of the program on children who receive care for acute health needs.
"This service fills a significant gap by providing reliable and consistent coverage to school students, especially those with demanding chronic health care needs such as diabetes and those facing access challenges in rural and underserved communities," says Sheila Freed, BSN, RN, NCSN, Avel eCare School Health Director. "About 25% of public schools had no coverage whatsoever. COVID-19 has likely affected these numbers and has driven the continued shortage of school nurses, making this innovative program such an important resource for schools looking for coverage."
The eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project will enroll approximately 100 schools and invite families of students aged 3-17 with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes to enroll in the study.
Avera is currently recruiting schools and students for the research project. For more information about the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project please contact Sheila Freed at 605-606-0556 or eschoolhealth@avera.org or visit, eCare School Health (https://www.avelecare.com/ecare/what-we-do/school-health/?_ga=2.89924763.1461231534.1653564585-270147606.1653564585).
"As an organization rooted in community, JDRF is excited to partner with the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Avera to bring this amazing program to the communities that need it most," says Sanjoy Dutta, PhD, JDRF Chief Scientific Officer. "This partnership can improve health and quality of life for children and adolescents today, as we support development of new and transformative T1D therapies for the future for all people with type 1 diabetes."
"Type 1 diabetes affects not only the individuals living with it day after day, but their families and support systems as well," said Gina Agiostratidou, PhD, MBA, Program Director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust's Type 1 Diabetes Program. "JDRF and Avera are ideal partners in Helmsley's effort to improve outcomes and increase peace of mind for students with diabetes and all who care for them."
Avera Health, JDRF, and Helmsley Charitable Trust Partner to Provide Virtual Health Care to Schools in Underserved Communities
NEW YORK, May 26 (TNSreact) -- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust issued the following news release:
Avera Health, JDRF, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announce the creation of the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project to address disparities in access to school health care, starting with students living with diabetes. Avera Health is partnering with the telehealth provider Avel eCare to study the impact of delivering virtual school nursing services in medically underserved communities.
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recommends
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, May 26 (TNSreact) -- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust issued the following news release:
Avera Health, JDRF, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announce the creation of the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project to address disparities in access to school health care, starting with students living with diabetes. Avera Health is partnering with the telehealth provider Avel eCare to study the impact of delivering virtual school nursing services in medically underserved communities.
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recommendsstudents have daily access to a full-time RN; yet, only 39% of schools in the U.S. employ a full-time school nurse, and just 35% employ a part-time school nurse. In some rural areas the coverage rate is even lower. eCare School Health provides access to experienced school nurses via live audio-visual technology. Registered nurses assist school staff in caring for students who have chronic health needs or acute health needs (head injuries, allergies, asthma, etc.). When there is a medical issue, within minutes an Avel eCare nurse is available via video to assess the situation and provide stable and continuous support to the school staff member. During the 2020-2021 school year, over 6,300 video visits were conducted serving 50 schools in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
According to Christine Hockett, PhD, Avera Director of Community Research, "This project will also study whether virtual telehealth services within the school setting not only increases the likelihood of students staying in school, but also whether it minimizes the need for parents to take time off from work and decreases healthcare and travel costs."
Due to the lack of nursing care available in many schools, without telehealth, parents are left to give directions to school staff without medical training for students with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. The three-year study will evaluate the effectiveness of the eCare School Health program on outcomes related to diabetes care and management and the quality of life of students with diabetes. The study will also assess the impact of the program on children who receive care for acute health needs.
"This service fills a significant gap by providing reliable and consistent coverage to school students, especially those with demanding chronic health care needs such as diabetes and those facing access challenges in rural and underserved communities," says Sheila Freed, BSN, RN, NCSN, Avel eCare School Health Director. "About 25% of public schools had no coverage whatsoever. COVID-19 has likely affected these numbers and has driven the continued shortage of school nurses, making this innovative program such an important resource for schools looking for coverage."
The eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project will enroll approximately 100 schools and invite families of students aged 3-17 with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes to enroll in the study.
Avera is currently recruiting schools and students for the research project. For more information about the eCare School Health T1D Demonstration Project please contact Sheila Freed at 605-606-0556 or eschoolhealth@avera.org or visit, eCare School Health.
"As an organization rooted in community, JDRF is excited to partner with the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Avera to bring this amazing program to the communities that need it most," says Sanjoy Dutta, PhD, JDRF Chief Scientific Officer. "This partnership can improve health and quality of life for children and adolescents today, as we support development of new and transformative T1D therapies for the future for all people with type 1 diabetes."
"Type 1 diabetes affects not only the individuals living with it day after day, but their families and support systems as well," said Gina Agiostratidou, PhD, MBA, Program Director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust's Type 1 Diabetes Program. "JDRF and Avera are ideal partners in Helmsley's effort to improve outcomes and increase peace of mind for students with diabetes and all who care for them."
As You Sow Foundation: 39% of Chevron Shareholders Seek Full Accounting of Climate Risk
BERKELEY, California, May 26 (TNSreact) -- As You Sow Foundation issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Today at the annual general meeting of oil giant Chevron, investors voted on a shareholder resolution asking the company to disclose the quantitative impact on its financial position of global success in meeting the Paris Agreement's net-zero goal.
Thirty-nine percent of shareholders voted in favor of the Chevron resolution based on preliminary numbers from the company.
The proposal asks Chevron to provide quantitative information on how the International Energy Agency's (IEA)
... Show Full Article
BERKELEY, California, May 26 (TNSreact) -- As You Sow Foundation issued the following news release on May 25, 2022:
Today at the annual general meeting of oil giant Chevron, investors voted on a shareholder resolution asking the company to disclose the quantitative impact on its financial position of global success in meeting the Paris Agreement's net-zero goal.
Thirty-nine percent of shareholders voted in favor of the Chevron resolution based on preliminary numbers from the company.
The proposal asks Chevron to provide quantitative information on how the International Energy Agency's (IEA)Net Zero by 2050 scenario will affect key components of the company's financial position, including potential impairments, remaining asset lives, asset retirement obligations.
The proposal, which received support from ISS, and was flagged by the CA100+, underscores that regulators, investors, and other financial players need clear information from Chevron about the growing likelihood of climate change-related risk and its impact on company value.
An independent analysis from the Carbon Tracker Initiative describes the lack of quantified disclosure by Chevron of the impact of the IEA's NZ scenario.
Investors representing assets worth more than $103 trillion have issued a letter urging companies to reflect climate-related risks in financial reporting.
Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow, made the following statement:
"The fact of an ongoing energy transition is not debatable. Nor is the global net-zero goal. Yet, Chevron's business plan and its audited financial statements appear to assume business as usual. It is therefore reasonable for investors to seek clear and quantitative information on the impact a low-carbon transition would have on Chevron's current and future financial standing.
"With this strong vote, investors have made it clear that companies must fully address how the global transition away from fossil fuels will affect their companies' bottom lines and future success. As demonstrated by the IEA Net Zero by 2050 scenario, a clear pathway to achieving net-zero emissions exists -- and it requires a rapid movement away from fossil fuel-based energy. The impact and risk of a business-as-usual business plan to an oil company is therefore fundamentally material, requires analysis and disclosure, and the same auditing assurance as financial disclosures."
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View links showing in text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2022/5/25/chevron-shareholders-climate-risk-annual-general-meeting
As You Sow Foundation: 37% of ExxonMobil Shareholders Support Studying Reduction in Virgin Plastic Demand
BERKELEY, California, May 26 (TNSreact) -- As You Sow Foundation issued the following news release:
A shareholder resolution challenging a major petrochemical company on virgin and single-use plastic production received a 37.4% vote from ExxonMobil shareholders at the company's annual meeting today. This follows a majority vote (50.4%) at Phillips 66 on a similar resolution earlier this month.
The resolution asks ExxonMobil to publish a report describing the potential impacts of a significant reduction in virgin plastic demand on its business and quantifying how much of its plastic production
... Show Full Article
BERKELEY, California, May 26 (TNSreact) -- As You Sow Foundation issued the following news release:
A shareholder resolution challenging a major petrochemical company on virgin and single-use plastic production received a 37.4% vote from ExxonMobil shareholders at the company's annual meeting today. This follows a majority vote (50.4%) at Phillips 66 on a similar resolution earlier this month.
The resolution asks ExxonMobil to publish a report describing the potential impacts of a significant reduction in virgin plastic demand on its business and quantifying how much of its plastic productionis single-use bound. According to the Plastic Waste Makers Index, the company is the world's largest producer of virgin plastic resins bound for single-use applications.
The scientific community has warned that plastic pollution may be nearing an irreversible tipping point. The plastic lifecycle imposes costs on the environment, climate, and human health that are at least 10 times higher than the market price of plastics. At the heart of the plastic pollution problem are single-use plastics, which make up the largest component of ocean-bound plastic pollution.
ExxonMobil states that it "shares society's concern about plastic waste in the environment" and has set an advanced recycling capacity target of 500,000 metric tons by 2026. However, the company's planned expansions of virgin plastic production are eight times higher than its recycling target. In total, Exxon's recycled plastics target is estimated to displace no more than 5% of its virgin plastic production volumes by 2026.
"What investors are looking for is robust and quantitative disclosure of a company's exposure to the single-use plastics supply chain and how the company can fundamentally change its business model for plastics production," said Joshua Romo, energy and plastics associate at As You Sow.
As You Sow's resolution is based on peer-reviewed research from the Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, in collaboration with global experts, which found that the world can feasibly reduce ocean plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 using existing technology. Presented as the System Change Scenario in the widely respected "Breaking the Plastic Wave" report, this transition is based on a global shift to recycled plastics (nearly tripling demand for recycled content) coupled with a one-third absolute reduction of virgin demand (mostly of virgin single-use plastic).
"These high votes with Exxon and Phillips 66 send a loud, clear message to the industry to move swiftly to develop a blueprint for an expeditious transition away from virgin plastic and less production of throwaway plastics overall," said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president at As You Sow.
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View links showing in text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2022/5/25/exxon-shareholders-support-reduction-virgin-plastic-demand
