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Flagship Direct-Service Program

First 180

Cancer Patient and Family Navigation and Support

First 180 helps newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families manage the first 90 to 180 days of diagnosis, testing, treatment planning, and disruption to everyday life.

Our promise

“We do not treat the cancer. We help patients and families navigate everything cancer suddenly does to their lives.”

First 180 is the primary direct-service expression of founder George Bernardich’s lived experience and of Dawn’s Heart’s founding purpose. It focuses on the first months after diagnosis, when testing, treatment planning, and the disruption to everyday life can arrive all at once.

Current status

Status: Pilot Development

First 180 is in pilot development. It is not accepting applications, referrals, or health information at this time.

There is no application or intake process yet. Please do not send medical or personal health information through this website.

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Service model

Understand, organize, connect, support, follow through

Understand, then Organize, then Connect, then Support, then Follow Through

  1. Understand

    Listen to the patient and caregiver, clarify immediate pressures, and identify what matters most now.

  2. Organize

    Create a practical plan for appointments, documents, household disruptions, transportation, and follow-up.

  3. Connect

    Link the family with hospital navigation, benefits, transportation, food, counseling, caregiver, and community resources.

  4. Support

    Provide encouragement and, when approved and appropriate, limited gap assistance for needs that other resources do not meet.

  5. Follow Through

    Check whether referrals were completed, needs changed, and the family requires another connection or next step.

What First 180 is and is not

Clear boundaries

First 180 is designed to work alongside the care team, not in place of it. It connects families with hospital navigation and community resources before building anything new.

Program boundaries

  • First 180 does not provide medical treatment.
  • First 180 does not provide medical advice.
  • First 180 does not replace hospital, clinical, social-work, or professional patient navigation.
  • Referrals and financial assistance are subject to program criteria, available funds, privacy practices, and Cure on Wheels oversight.
Brand illustration of a notebook, calendar, and compass at sunrise

How a pilot would be measured

Measuring movement, not activity

These are proposed measures for a future pilot, tracked from intake through 180 days. No results have been reported yet.

  • Time to first response
  • Needs identified
  • Referrals completed
  • Assistance delivered
  • Follow-up at 30, 90, and 180 days

If you or someone you love was just diagnosed

First 180 is not yet accepting families

Please continue to rely on your care team, including hospital patient navigators and social workers, for guidance about treatment and support. First 180 does not provide medical advice.

Please do not include medical records, diagnosis or treatment details, Social Security numbers, banking or card information, or other sensitive personal information.

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Common questions

Questions people ask

Short answers for search and assistants. Program pages still carry the current status of each initiative.

Is First 180 accepting families?

No. First 180 is in pilot development. It is not accepting applications, referrals, or health information. Please continue to rely on your care team, including hospital patient navigators.

What is Dawn’s Heart?

Dawn’s Heart is a fiscally sponsored charitable Project of Cure on Wheels, Inc. It turns gratitude into action for cancer patients, families, and the Tampa Bay community through practical help, volunteer service, and pathways toward stability. Dawn’s Heart is not a separate 501(c)(3) organization.