Special Edition: The CAP Foundation’s See, Test & Treat Program

July 21, 2026

See, Test & Treat

CAP Foundation Grants and Awards Application Site

Transcript

Nick Lanyi 0:02

Today, a look inside, see Test and Treat, the CAP Foundation's signature program.

Dr. Eva Wojcik 0:09

When you tell the patient directly that she can go home and she can sleep and that she is fine, she does not have a breast cancer, that she has been worried for 10 or 15 years. Looking at her gratitude, looking at her eyes, is priceless.

Nick Lanyi 0:33

This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi with a special edition of the podcast. It's Tuesday, July 21st. Since 2011, the CAP Foundation's See, Test and Treat program has provided free breast and cervical cancer screenings, as well as follow-up care, to more than 8,500 women in 18 states across the U.S. The vast majority were underinsured or uninsured. The program is funded through tax-deductible donations to the Foundation and led by pathologists at their home hospitals and clinics. Here's how it works. Pathologists apply for funding to host a See. Test and Treat day at their hospital or institution. New applicants can receive up to $20,000 to support specified expenses. Repeat applicants can expect a decrease in funding up to 10% from the previous year. The goal is to gradually encourage the programs to become self-sustaining. The local programs invite members of the community to make appointments for screenings on a single day, at which pathologists, other providers, and volunteers greet them and guide them through the process. It's usually a festive atmosphere with refreshments, informational booths, and ask the pathologist sessions. Test results are delivered by pathologists, and follow-up resources in the community are made available. Dr. Jeremy Hart is Assistant Vice President of Laboratory Services and Medical Director for Laboratories at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Northern Kentucky. He painted a picture of how the event goes there.

Dr. Jeremy Hart 2:14

It's always a very early start of the day. And so we have volunteers who are arriving prior to 7 a.m. Even though we don't schedule our first patients until 8 a.m. We have found that many of the participants will arrive early. And so we're prepared for them. We actually have had each year that we've hosted, we've we've probably had between 100 and 150 volunteers. Many of those individuals are bilingual speakers. And so we use those volunteers for a patient navigation. We have some specially medically trained interpreters who also assist on the day of the event. And I will tell you that the vibe for the event is warm, it's energetic. If you think about it, with the the 100 to 150 volunteers, you've got a ratio of volunteer to participant of like, you know, two or three to one.

Nick Lanyi 3:15

Dr. Julietta Lastra is a gynecological pathologist and associate professor at the University of Chicago Medical School, and she chairs the CAP Foundation's See, Test and Treat Committee. Dr. Lastra explains that while testing is at the heart of the program, it's not the only goal.

Dr. Julietta Lastra 3:32

Our programs are not only designed for the screening of cancer or other diseases, but also for connecting with care. So we make sure that if there is an abnormal result, that something happens. These patients get connected irrespective of their ability to pay, irrespective of other barriers, language, sociocultural, et cetera. We make sure patients get connected to care. And I think last but not least, it's also the educational component of See, Test and Treat, right? Patients report when we have done surveys on site a significantly higher level of trust in healthcare, significantly higher level of trust in their care providers. Many individuals in our communities, many of our patients, for the first time get to know what a pathologist is, who is a pathologist, and this is how they learn about it.

Nick Lanyi 4:24

Dr. Eva Wojcik, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, has hosted See, Test and Treat at Loyola for more than a decade.

Dr. Eva Wojcik 4:35

I'm not exaggerating. Truly changed my personal life, but definitely the life of our department and the way how we are being recognized by the rest of our institution. We have been we have proven that we pathologists can be leaders of the entire medical team. Because to offer this program, each and every member of the healthcare team, starting from the security officers to the department chairs and presidents, are being involved. And it's really elevated our department within our institution.

Nick Lanyi 5:37

See, Test & Treat’s original model was to focus on breast cancer and have everything happen on the same day: Testing, results, and the recommended follow-up care. Cervical cancer screenings were added later, and this year more flexibility was added to also include colon and lung cancer screening, as well as diabetes, hypertension, and STD screenings. Dr. Lastra told us why.

Dr. Julietta Lastra 5:55

 In listening to comments from our grantees, in listening to the experiences in the trenches, as I said, on the ground, and in getting more information about the needs of our underserved communities, we came to realize that there were a number of other potential screenings that should be happening and that we could offer.

Nick Lanyi 5:55

The Foundation also allowed more flexibility in the timing of test results, because some locations couldn’t accommodate the same-day turnaround. Dr. Hart explained how the change helped the St. Elizabeth’s program:

Dr. Jeremy Hart 6:31

This year we are partnering with a local community organization. It's called Faith Community Health Network. And they uh their mission is to provide uh comprehensive uh care to members of the community who have no insurance. And so they're fulfilling an extremely important niche in our in our community. And so by moving the event from our our health systems cancer center to a community location, it's gonna be logistically a little bit more challenging to get same-day test results because of the the um you know the specimen transit to our main lab. And so having this extra flexibility allows us to move the program into the community closer to patients in partnership with an organization that's gonna be connecting them to you know long-term sources of care.

Nick Lanyi 7:31

All three of the doctors strongly encourage all pathologists to support the program, either as a host or as a financial supporter. As Dr. Lastra said,

Dr. Julietta Lastra 7:40

Who wouldn't be satisfied by being able to provide care in your community, right? It's a fulfilling thing to do.

Nick Lanyi 7:48

That's all for today. See the show notes for more information. Feel free to share this special edition on social media and spread the word about seed test and treat. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of the Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.