Bridging Divides, Reaching New Heights

ZERO Prostate Cancer’s Blitz The Barriers is a bold $20 million initiative aimed at closing gaps in prostate cancer care and survival within communities that experience the highest risk. The initiative launched on February 18, 2025, during National Cancer Prevention Month and Black History Month with a $7.5M commitment from Lead Founding Partner, Novartis. This commitment will fuel outreach, education, and technology-based interventions in communities where Black men, Veterans, and rural underserved, in particular, carry the disease’s greatest burden. The initiative has an ambitious goal to save 100,000 lives across (12) pilot markets, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Mississippi, Appalachia, and Houston over the next ten years.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, claiming a life every 15 minutes. Black men are 75% more likely to develop aggressive, metastatic disease and 2 times more likely to die from it. In some areas of the country, the disparity is even higher. These challenges are too big to ignore, especially in communities where taboo, mistrust, or limited resources have kept life-saving education and care out of reach.

We know that increased awareness, early detection, and high-quality care are key to eliminating prostate cancer disparities and helping individuals lead their longest and healthiest lives. Collaborations with trusted local organizations, such as community health centers, faith-based groups, and local and national community-based organizations, will amplify Blitz The Barriers’s ability to deliver access to trusted experts, accurate information, and a strong support network that can transform the cancer journey for those most affected by prostate cancer. 

No one should die from prostate cancer because of their social or economic conditions, which include factors like zip code, income, race, and ethnicity.

Blitz The Barriers supports those most affected by prostate cancer: individuals at risk, their caregivers, and their loved ones. With Black men, Veterans, and rural underserved bearing the greatest burden of this disease, the initiative focuses on communities where its efforts can have the most transformative impact.

This initiative will not only serve Black men, Veterans, and rural underserved in the pilot markets. Education, support groups, patient navigation, and outreach will be available to all who need it in each market. Additionally, local and national awareness campaigns will be launched to reach everyone at risk for the disease.

Highest-risk populations are more likely to die from the disease due to a combination of factors, including limited access to healthcare, systemic inequities, mistrust of the medical system, and cultural stigmas around discussing health issues. Blitz The Barriers will address these challenges and break down barriers all men face regarding access to screenings and early diagnosis. If prostate cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, the 5-year survival rate is 99%. Our ultimate goal: ZERO Stigma. ZERO Barriers. ZERO Deaths.

Blitz The Barriers launched in February 2025 to align with National Cancer Prevention Month, a key time for raising awareness and encouraging early detection through life-saving cancer screenings. Additionally, launching during Black History Month enables the project to honor and directly engage Black communities at higher risk while underscoring the critical need for prevention and health equity. The campaign will launch later this year in Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., expanding to 12 markets over the next three years, including New Orleans, Detroit, and Houston.

By 2035, Blitz The Barriers aims to increase prostate cancer screenings by over 20% across (12) highest-risk communities to save over 100,000 lives. This impact will be achieved through a multi-faceted approach that includes partnerships with local and national organizations to deliver:

• Educational and Screening Initiatives: Hosting 750 community events to provide educational programs and resources as well as free and low-cost screenings
• Support for Patients and Caregivers: Conducting more than 1,000 support group meetings tailored to the needs of patients and their families
• 24-7 Professional Support: Offering a round-the-clock resource to connect individuals with trained professionals for guidance, to answer questions, and to provide emotional support
• Online Peer Support: Creating an online community to foster connection and facilitate peer-to-peer encouragement
• Patient Navigation Services: Dedicated patient navigators embedded within local urology practices to provide personalized, timely support immediately following diagnosis

The initiative recognizes that achieving true health equity in prostate cancer care requires a combination of grassroots efforts and systemic changes. To increase equitable access to care, the initiative will influence public policy at both the local and national levels. Key goals include improving participation in clinical trials for life-saving treatments, advocating for insurance coverage and cost-saving measures, and addressing structural barriers. This approach, combining community-focused interventions with policy advocacy, aims to create a ripple effect that transforms prostate cancer care far beyond our pilot communities.

Validated national data from research, advocacy, healthcare, and government agencies was reviewed to identify communities with the greatest incidence of prostate cancer. After this initial step, we looked more closely at the community data and identified the sub-populations within these communities with the highest racial and occupational disparities in screening, treatment engagement, and mortality for prostate cancer, which provided the criteria for selecting the initial pilot markets. As we continue to monitor community-level data as it becomes available, we may (in collaboration with our national partners), select additional markets, or change the order of implementation for the Pilot Markets currently selected.

Blitz The Barriers is led by ZERO Prostate Cancer, the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to ending prostate cancer through advocacy, awareness, and support. Novartis, an innovative medicines company committed to reimaging medicine and cancer care, is the Project's Lead Founding Partner and has committed $7.5 million to fuel outreach, education, and technology-based interventions in pilot communities. Together, they bring expertise, resources, and a shared commitment to advancing health outcomes for all.

Blitz The Barriers will launch with Phi Beta Sigma fraternity as a national community partner and will announce additional community and funding partners to support the project’s local implementation and fuel the work over the next three to ten years.

There are several ways to get involved with Blitz The Barriers, all of which begin by visiting the campaign’s website at zerocancer.org/blitz. The site provides resources and tools that can help educate individuals about prostate cancer and direct them to resources that encourage screening and point to resources for treatment and care. 

Visit the ZERO Prostate Cancer website (zerocancer.org/blitz) or follow the campaign on social media at (@zeroprostatecancer on Facebook & Instagram, or @zerocancer on X) to stay updated on events, resources, and ways to contribute.