Employees and organization support OHSU’s unprecedented cancer research effort
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today Cambia Health Foundation announced that together with Cambia Health Solutions employees, the Portland-based foundation is donating $1 million to the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in support of groundbreaking research to treat all forms of cancer. Cambia’s contribution will bolster OHSU’s unprecedented Knight Cancer Challenge and its goal to raise $500 million to earn a matching pledge from Nike Co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny.
“Cambia and its employees take tremendous pride in the fact that here in our backyard, OHSU and the Knight Cancer Institute are blazing a historic path toward achieving a global cure for cancer while taking a holistic approach to patient care,” said Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Cambia Health Solutions and Founding Board Member of the Cambia Health Foundation. “We applaud their brave work, and encourage others to join us in support of the Challenge’s final push toward its $500 million fundraising match goal.”
The $1 million donation was initiated through a week-long employee campaign in April across Cambia Health Solution’s 5,000 employees, with 2:1 matching support from the Cambia Health Foundation. Employees of the nonprofit health solutions company shared personal stories of their experiences with cancer, and were encouraged to utilize serious illness planning resources.
“As a recent cancer survivor and patient of the Knight Cancer Institute, I’m incredibly grateful to the countless supporters who have joined this effort to find a cure for cancer,” said Kathy Webber, a Cambia Health Solutions employee.
Over the past 10 years Cambia Health Foundation has become a national leader in advancing palliative care and promoting conversations about health care decision making in support of individuals and families facing serious illness. Last year, health plans in the Cambia Health Solutions family of companies introduced one of the industry’s most comprehensive approaches to palliative care, including new health benefits for its members and employees.
Individuals and business who are interested in supporting the Knight Cancer Challenge are encouraged to learn more by visiting www.onedown.org.
