Al Copeland Foundation and LSU Health New Orleans Expand Partnership

Al Copeland Foundation and LSU Health New Orleans Cancer Network to Benefit Patients in the Gulf States Region

February 4, 2022

In honor of World Cancer Day and National Cancer Prevention Month, the Al Copeland Foundation announces the donation of $400,000 to LSU Health Foundation New Orleans and a commitment of $2 million over the next ten years to support the Al Copeland Foundation and LSU Health New Orleans Cancer Partnership Network. The Network, an innovative, robust cancer program that will benefit patients with cancer in Louisiana and the Gulf States Region, expands the partnership that began more than a decade ago.

The Al Copeland Foundation and LSU Health New Orleans Cancer Partnership Network will support cancer research programs and help bring clinical trials to a broad range of cancer patients. It will also develop a patient screening, prevention, and outreach initiative.

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“Our partnership with LSU Health New Orleans led us to find the treatment for the cancer that took my father’s life,” said Al Copeland Jr. “Fighting for his life led us down a path of searching for a lifesaving treatment around the world,” said Al Copeland Jr. “With the new partnership expansion, the ultimate goal is for everyone to have access to innovative cancer treatments that can save their lives right here at home.”

“Building the new Cancer Network, with the support of the Al Copeland Foundation, is an important step in offering patients a more active role in their health care outcomes and contributing to a healthier future generation," said Dr. Steve Nelson, LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor. "Being able to provide this access right here in Louisiana is a huge step for the advancement in cancer care for our residents.”

“The partnership between LSU Health and the Al Copeland Foundation will set the stage for the delivery of novel therapeutic approaches to cancer that many patients might not otherwise be able to access. Its impact on the region will be tremendous,” said Dr. John H. Stewart, IV, MD, MBA, the director of the LSU-LCMC Cancer Center.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSU Health New Orleans) educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's health sciences university leader, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine with branch campuses in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous annual economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO, or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.

The Al Copeland Foundation supports new local cancer research, education, and patient programs at the Copeland-LSU Health Science Center Partnership in Viruses, Cancer, and Immunotherapy. Established in 2008, the foundation honors Al Copeland, Sr., who died of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Copeland's final wish was to find a cure for the cancer that ultimately took his life. Proudly, the Al Copeland Foundation has raised more than $1.9 million and opened 17 immunotherapy trials, resulting in three completely Merkel Cell Carcinoma-free patients to date. The Al Copeland Foundation believes we are on a path to fulfill that wish— to save lives and end cancer. To learn more, visit www.alcopelandfoundation.org, follow us on Facebook @AlCopelandFoundation, Instagram @acfoundation, or Twitter @acfoundation, or contact the foundation at (504) 620-3727.