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Ocular Melanoma - Clinical Access Network (OM-CAN)

Removing barriers to care and research

The Challenge

Ocular melanoma (OM) is a rare cancer that requires highly specialized expertise. Clinical trials and advanced treatments are concentrated in a limited number of Centers of Excellence nationwide. For many patients, travel is not optional, it is required to access:

  • Expert multidisciplinary care

  • Clinical trials and investigational therapies

  • Guideline-level treatment and follow-up

Yet non-medical costs, including airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and caregiver travel, are rarely covered by insurance and often become the single greatest barrier to care and research participation.

The Solution

OM-CAN Ocular Melanoma Clinical Access Network (OM-CAN) is a national initiative designed to reduce travel-related barriers that prevent patients with ocular melanoma from accessing specialized treatment and participating in research.

OM-CAN recognizes a simple truth:
Scientific breakthroughs can only change lives if patients can reach them.

Who We Are

OM-CAN is led by the Eye on Grace Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by an ocular melanoma patient and her husband after experiencing firsthand how travel costs influence treatment decisions.

Eye on Grace exists to ensure that patients make decisions based on what is medically best, not what is financially or geographically possible.

Our Impact

In the past year alone, Eye on Grace:

  • Funded 900+ patient trips

  • Deployed nearly $448,000 in travel assistance

  • Supported access to:

    • Centers of Excellence

    • Clinical trials

    • Novel and investigational therapies

This work directly addresses a documented barrier to research participation and equitable care in rare cancers.

What OM-CAN Does

OM-CAN functions as a clinical access network, not a medical provider.

Through OM-CAN:

  • Patients receive non-medical travel support to reach specialized care and research sites

  • Research participation is strengthened through improved enrollment and retention

  • Geographic and financial barriers to care are reduced

  • Research investments achieve greater real-world impact

OM-CAN does not provide medical care, influence treatment decisions, or manage research data.

Who Can Participate

OM-CAN is a collaborative network open to:

  • Research foundations

  • Academic medical centers

  • Centers of Excellence

  • Industry and biopharmaceutical partners

Participation is non-exclusive and tailored to each organization’s mission and structure. eyeongracefoundation.org

Ways to Engage

Organizations may participate in OM-CAN through:

  • Financial or in-kind support for travel access

  • Strategic collaboration to improve research participation pathways

All partnerships are governed by clear, non-binding agreements that respect institutional policies and compliance standards.

Our Shared Goal

To ensure that access to ocular melanoma research and treatment is not limited by distance, finances, or geography, and that scientific discovery translates into meaningful patient outcomes. Join the network today!