Montefiore Einstein’s BOLD program outlines free cancer-wellness services, peer supports and community screening events

Dr. Bianca Rivera, project manager for the BOLD program and manager of the community outreach arm of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, presented the program’s services to the Bronx Community Board 11 Health & Human Services Committee.

“BOLD stands for Bronx Oncology Living Daily Program,” Rivera said. She described BOLD as a free, patient-centered cancer wellness program available to any Bronx resident with a cancer diagnosis, whether or not they receive treatment at Montefiore. Rivera characterized the program as part of Montefiore’s comprehensive cancer-center services and said the center’s comprehensive title from the National Cancer Institute reflects inclusion of wellness services in addition to standard oncologic care.

Rivera said BOLD offers emotional and psychosocial support — including individual counseling and support groups — wellness workshops (mind–body, art, fitness, nutrition), smoking-cessation groups (open to the broader community), and peer-support services. She described the BOLD Buddy peer-support and treatment-companion programs, in which cancer survivors volunteer to support patients through treatment; Rivera said the program had 42 active Bold bodies aged 21–89 and had matched 86 cancer patients as of February 2025.

The program also runs a Bold Boutique that provides free clothing, personal-hygiene items and wigs (for patients with alopecia) on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Rivera said the program accepts gently used donations Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Rivera also highlighted community screening events including an annual prostate screening at Yankee Stadium (about 189 men screened at last year’s event) and upcoming large screening events (an Act Early, Act Now event planned for September). She said the program helps with navigation for breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and prostate screening, that some navigation is done through automatic referral or outreach calls, and that an AI-based outreach effort helped schedule colonoscopies and increased scheduling rates for those patients.

Rivera provided program metrics: she said that since February 2019 approximately 2,875 patients have been referred to BOLD; the program’s caseload is majority female (78 percent) with 49 percent Black/African American and 45 percent Hispanic/Latino patients. Rivera said many of the services are available virtually and in person; she noted peer volunteers, paid one‑year internships and that the program delivers services in English and Spanish and will tailor outreach to other groups when needed (Albanian, South Asian and West African communities and LGBTQ+ outreach were cited).

Rivera invited collaboration with the Bronx Wellness Center and other community partners; committee members and community attendees discussed joint events and use of the wellness center for social programming. Rivera provided contact information and flyers and invited CB11 to share program materials with constituents.

The committee did not take formal votes on BOLD during the meeting; the meeting later adjourned by motion.