Rhonda Green is the 2014 Matt Mumber, MD Visionary Award Winner
10/27/2014
The 3rd annual Matt Mumber, MD Visionary Award was awarded to Rhonda Green of the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia (CCSG) in Albany. There were eight very strong nominations of people and programs doing incredible navigation work across Georgia, so Ms. Green deserves much credit for this recognition.
“Providing patient care for the residents of the Cancer Coalition’s 32 rural counties presents daunting challenges,” said Diane Fletcher, CCSG’s President and CEO. “Not only does our region have some of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in Georgia and nationally, but our residents also often suffer from poverty, lack of health insurance, low educational attainment, limited access to care, culturally ingrained mistrust of medical care, and other disparities. Rhonda’s passion and sense of humor overcome the barriers to reaching and caring for the individuals who need this care.”
The Matt Mumber Visionary Award and its associated grant of $2,000 is presented yearly by the Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia (CPNG) to a Georgia resident, program or organization that has demonstrated an appreciation of the essential role of patient navigators, Community Health Workers and/or promotoras in effective and compassionate cancer prevention and treatment. The award was established by the leadership of CPNG and named in honor of a radiation oncologist from Rome, Ga. who used personal and professional capital to champion the concept of better patient care through increased access to trained patient navigators for Georgia families affected by cancer.
“The Matt Mumber Visionary Award seeks to recognize a person or program that shares the CPNG vision to improve each cancer patient’s personal experience, quality of care and quality of life throughout the entire continuum of care,” said Georgia CORE Vice President and CPNG co-founder Angie Patterson. “Rhonda Green is a stellar role model of a compassionate and competent Cancer Patient Navigator who clearly embodies the vision and values of Dr. Mumber.”
Criteria for the award includes a demonstration of Dr. Mumber’s passion to care for the whole patient; courage and innovation in advancing the workforce of patient navigators and community health workers; and an ability to bridge traditional medicine with innovations (including alternative/complementary medicine) to improve patient outcomes.