The Open Table Network Table™ is an Innovative Patient Support Model
Phoenix, Arizona: Open Table is launching its Network Table model to break down barriers that prevent individuals from accessing critical cancer care. With support from Exact Sciences, a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Open Table will assist cancer patients facing challenges that prevent them from accessing the oncology care they need to improve health outcomes in underserved communities.
What is the Network Table Model?
The Network Table is an evidence-driven model that trains volunteers to harness the untapped social capital within their communities. These volunteers work together to draw on their collective skills, resources, and personal, social, and business networks to develop customized solutions that will remove one or more non-medical barriers for individuals facing a cancer diagnosis —solutions that patients would otherwise struggle to access on their own.
The Network Table is linked to a healthcare referral organization serving people with complex needs. The healthcare organization refers a patient (called a “Friend”) and their specific priority need to the Network Table. The Network Table accesses its networks and those of the community — social capital — to solve the need.
By leveraging community connections, trained volunteers empower patients with individualized support. They address challenges such as housing, food security, transportation, and literacy that limit access to care and improve overall well-being. This model fosters long-term collaboration between the healthcare sector and local communities, ensuring sustainable care solutions.
“This collaboration between healthcare providers and the local community plays a vital role in addressing social determinants of health—factors that too often restrict access to essential cancer care and contribute to poorer outcomes,” said Stephanie Birkey Reffey, Senior Director of Patient Advocacy and Alliance Relations at Exact Sciences. “We are proud to support Open Table’s innovative approach, which not only aims to improve outcomes in underserved communities but also generates critical data on the non-medical barriers patients face and how we might overcome them.”
Where Will the Network Table Model Be Implemented?
The Network Table model will be implemented in two communities facing significant cancer care disparities: The Glades region of Florida and the Appalachian region of Virginia. This marks the first time the model, previously successful in many broader healthcare initiatives, is explicitly applied to oncology. Open Table support empowers patients to overcome barriers and sustain care throughout treatment and recovery. Open Table research demonstrates these interventions can also reduce the cost of care. Insights and data gathered from the initiative will drive future innovations in patient support, aiming for improved health access and outcomes.
A Vision for Transforming Access to Cancer Care through Social Capital
Jon Katov, Founder and CEO of Open Table, shared,“We are grateful to Exact Sciences for its vision and cornerstone investment in Open Table. Building supportive community-based connections that increase access to care is one of the next frontiers in cancer care innovation. The Network Table model connects community volunteers to the healthcare system in transformative ways—sharing our skills, networks, and resources to empower patients as they navigate care, family, and hope in difficult times. Volunteers who serve on Network Tables are transformed in the process.”
About Open Table
Open Table, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005, develops innovative models that equip communities to build meaningful partnerships with nonprofit and for-profit organizations, supporting individuals and families with complex needs. By unlocking a community’s social capital, Open Table empowers people to pursue the futures they envision for themselves. Trained in 34 states, Open Table models bring together diverse sectors—business, education, healthcare, government, faith-based organizations, and human services—to create opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential.
For more information, visit www.theopentable.org.
Media Contacts
Jon Katov, Founder & CEO, jonkatov@theopentable.org
Angie Williams, COO, angiewilliams@theopentable.org
SOURCE: https://www.theopentable.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/OT-Oncology-Press-Release-81225.pdf