How a $5 million donation from Ralph Lauren helped transform cancer care in New York's Harlem

Ralph Lauren (left) with Harold Freeman American fashion designer Ralph Lauren's company in 2010 announced a $5 million donation to establish a cancer care centre in Harlem, New York, where many residents faced difficulties accessing medical treatment. The centre opened in 2003 through a partnership involving Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and North General Hospital. It was set up to provide cancer screenings, diagnosis, treatment and support to people who had limited access to healthcare.According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the initiative came after Lauren met Dr Harold Freeman, a cancer surgeon who had spent years working with patients from poor and underserved communities. Freeman had seen many women arrive at hospitals with advanced breast cancer, sometimes after struggling for months to obtain medical help. Their experiences showed him that the problem was not always a lack of willingness to seek treatment, but the difficulties patients faced in reaching it.Some women had been unable to get timely medical attention because of insurance problems, transport difficulties or childcare responsibilities. Others did not kno...