Co-CAPTAIN Project Addresses Cancer Prevention in People with Mental Illnesses
In a decisive step towards improving public health in Europe, the kick-off meeting of the Co-CAPTAIN project was held in Vienna in June 2023, launching the three-year project that is expected to run until 2026. Its main goal, within the framework of the Horizon Europe program, is to address two of the most urgent challenges in today’s society: cancer and mental illness.
In Europe, more than 80 million people face mental health problems, and around 4 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed annually; statistics show that people who struggle with mental illness have a higher incidence and mortality from cancer. The research on the connection between these two problems attributes the higher incidence to risky behaviours and to the difficulties in accessing often fragmented health care systems.
To address this interconnected issues, the Co-CAPTAIN project (GA 101104784) proposes an approach based on the “Patient Navigation Model”, which empowers patients and overcomes systemic barriers, while providing social support and ensuring access to primary prevention services. The project, coordinated by the Medical University of Vienna, brings together experts from organizations specialised in the care of mental illness in different regions of Europe, as well as academic institutions and local governments committed to change.
The project aims at reducing the burden of cancer and improving the overall health of people with mental illness through scientific approaches and implementation frameworks that seek to provide effective and long-lasting solutions. In addition to promoting health, the project has a financial impact by lowering costs in health and social care systems across Europe. on the same line, it will work on leveraging a coordinated manner to better treat cancerand will seek to provide policy recommendations for the widespread adoption of the Patient Navigation Model in Europe.
Kveloce, as leader of WP6 (Communication, Awareness and Sustainability), will have the task to raise awareness on the importance of the access to cancer prevention for people with mental illness, as well as spreading information throughout the public and among health and care professionals on the structural and social determinants of health and access to appropriate cancer prevention and control. To this end, it will be essential to establish partnerships between local and regional healthcare communities to facilitate the project implementation, as well as the dissemination of its results.
The Co-CAPTAIN project represents a collaborative, Europe-wide initiative focused on transforming the reality for those facing mental health and cancer challenges. Through collaboration and innovation, it envisions a future where healthcare is inclusive, preventive and effective for the benefit of society as a whole.