Horizons Community Solutions, Inc.

Our mission is strengthening communities and empowering people to lead healthy and productive lives. We aim to accomplish this goal of improving overall health and quality of life for residents within our communities by working with the community to identify some of the underlying causes of poor health. Then, we create and carry out a plan to address the causes, such as limited education and workforce training, obesity, poor housing conditions, lack of healthcare access, etc. Our vision is have a culture of wellness that achieves optimal health for everyone. Long term, we aim to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality while improving population health and reducing disparities. We also aim to always be fiscally sound and transparent, acting with the highest integrity as stewards of all funds entrusted to us.

At Horizons Community Solutions, we apply proven, evidence-based practices as our strategies. Our strategies include, but are not limited to, the following: Individualized health navigation; facilitation of access to cancer screenings, primary healthcare and other medical care; targeted education to adults and young people regarding living healthier lives and reducing risks of cancer and other illnesses; leading and sustaining collaboration among stakeholders to increase community capacity to improve social determinants of health; community-based research regarding risk reduction and health promotion (e.g., tobacco use cessation, obesity prevention/reduction) as well as contributions to basic science research (e.g., accruals to the regional biobank and to a new colorectal cancer screening test); assessment of and assistance with critical needs of patients in cancer treatment as well as cancer survivors; and community transformation projects. Our overall strategy is to engage and collaborate with myriad entities in order to increase our impact and use limited resources most effectively. In addition, we operate in a culturally sensitive manner that respects the populations with whom we work.

We have excellent capabilities for implementing our strategies and accomplishing our goals. Our capacity includes our leadership and staff expertise, comprising decades of experience in program design and delivery, nonprofit and fiscal management, evaluation, health promotion and education, development/fundraising, and relationship building/stakeholder engagement, among other skills. Staff members also excel in their academic credentials as well as their unwavering dedication to our mission. Our Board of Directors is diverse, experienced and equally committed to accomplishing the organization's goals. Our capacity also includes our established and broad networks of partners, including healthcare centers/hospitals, healthcare providers, civic groups, school systems/colleges/universities, public health agencies, businesses/corporations/industry, government agencies and legislators, faith-based organizations, professional associations, advocacy and survivor groups, and others. Horizons Community Solutions is responsive and flexible, allowing us to evolve and remain successful despite economic challenges and the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. As further evidence of our capabilities, we are able to regularly create and/or act upon new opportunities to further our mission. We are a highly trusted and respected organization whose expertise and involvement is regularly sought after by other organizations throughout our region, the state, and nationally.

Selected accomplishments include: The Cancer Coalition of South Georgia has created a coordinated and highly effective system of care known as the Community Cancer Screening Program TM (CCSP). The CCSP has achieved national recognition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Cancer Institute, Mutual of America Foundation, and Cable News Network (CNN) and was adopted as Georgia's statewide model. From its inception in 2006 through 2015, nearly 5,000 men and women have been served by this program, demonstrating great success in reaching an acutely underserved, mostly rural, high minority population with vital health navigation and care. By finding cancer early – or preventing it – the CCSP also has saved and continues to save healthcare dollars and reduce the region's heavy healthcare burden. We are responsible for four school districts adopting the strictest 100% tobacco-free policies, with numerous businesses, colleges/universities, city governments and other entities following suit. In collaboration with Emory University, we completed a groundbreaking ten-year research study on preventing and reducing obesity. The project not only assisted thousands of families in understanding and improving their health-related choices, but it also significantly contributed to the professional literature. We have conducted more than 30 research studies on topics ranging from decision-making among treatment options and risk factors to attitudes toward emerging tobacco products. We also regularly conduct community assessments and use the information obtained to develop and implement programs that directly meet our communities' most urgent needs. We have designed and implemented a Cancer Patient Assistance Program that provides indigent patients with financial assistance for critical needs such as transportation to treatment, groceries, and medical equipment. Each year, we educate thousands of individuals to reduce their risks of cancer and other diseases and improve their overall health. To continue accomplishing our mission, we have grown and evolved dramatically since our start in 2002. Horizons Community Solutions has earned the highest “Four Star" rating by Charity Navigator recognizing our accountability, transparency and quantifiable results. We continue to work toward accomplishing broad, long-term, sustainable community health across our region. We plan to engage more employers in directly supporting community health. We also are continually working to accomplish reductions in cancer incidence and mortality as well as measurable reductions in all health-related disparities throughout our entire service area.