​Funding will help support people in cancer treatment.

To alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment, ACS has awarded $ 8.3 million in transportation and lodging grants to 411 health systems nationwide. The funding will allow these health systems to provide approximately 57,350 eligible patients an estimated 577,350 rides to treatment and 3,650 eligible patients 24,720 nights of free lodging during treatment.

“Not having access to high-quality cancer treatment due to where you live contributes to the disparities we see in cancer outcomes. It’s important to provide the funding and programming needed to keep a lack of transportation or the cost of a hotel room from impacting survival,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, ACS chief patient officer. “The local health systems we partner with across the country use this funding to deliver assistance directly to the patients who need it most.” 

How can you help amplify this news?

• Understand the need for funding 
  • Lack of transportation and proximity to treatment prevents many people living with cancer from getting high-quality care which worsens cancer outcomes. 
    • In a 2022 study, ACS researchers found that 2.8% of cancer survivors reported delays in care due to transportation barriers. Cancer survivors who delayed care due to lack of transportation were more likely to use the emergency room and had the highest risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality. 
    • According to ACS’ Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Facts & Figures 2022-2024, cancer survivors experience greater financial hardship than the general population for many reasons including the inability to work and out of pocket medical costs. These economic barriers make affordable lodging critical when daily or weekly treatment is needed far from home.
      
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