Non-medical community workers trained in symptom monitoring significantly reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations among older cancer patients in a randomized trial. The intervention involved regular check-ins where lay health workers assessed symptoms using standardized protocols and connected patients with appropriate care resources when concerning patterns emerged. This approach addresses a critical gap in cancer care, where symptom escalation often drives costly emergency interventions that could be prevented with earlier detection and management. The model represents a scalable solution to healthcare workforce shortages, particularly valuable as cancer incidence rises with population aging. Lay health workers can be trained relatively quickly compared to clinical staff, making this intervention potentially implementable across diverse healthcare systems. However, the study's focus on older adults may limit generalizability to younger cancer populations, and the intervention's effectiveness likely depends heavily on the quality of training protocols and integration with existing healthcare teams. The findings suggest that community-based symptom surveillance could become a standard component of comprehensive cancer care, potentially reducing both healthcare costs and patient suffering through earlier intervention.