As many California residents continue to deal with the aftermath of past wildfires and the advent of new ones, CancerCare is now offering a patient assistance program for both emotional and financial support to patients with cancer affected by the California fires.
As a leading national nonprofit organization serving people affected by cancer, CancerCare is well aware of the disruption natural disasters can cause to patients with cancer and their families. In 2017, the organization raised almost $665,000 in direct financial assistance for people with cancer who had been impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria. In 2005, CancerCare promptly addressed the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with a comprehensive program of support.
Contributions to CancerCare’s California Wildfires Patient Assistance Program will help provide:
- Financial assistance to people living with cancer in active treatment who have been affected by a wildfire
- Resource referrals to help people coping with cancer address needs resulting from a wildfire’s impact
- Emotional support from CancerCare oncology social workers for people coping with cancer, their caregivers, and their loved ones
- Educational information to help patients and families manage the emotional and logistical challenges of living with cancer.
“We are saddened to see the devastation wreaked by the wildfires in California,” said CancerCare Chief Executive Officer Patricia J. Goldsmith. “We are gratified to be able to assist patients [with cancer] affected by these terrible fires. With our California Wildfires Patient Assistance Program, we can offer specialized practical and emotional support to those coping with both a cancer diagnosis and the distress caused by a natural disaster.”
Patricia J. Goldsmith
The California Wildfires Patient Assistance Program is a component of the permanent disaster program for patients with cancer and providers that CancerCare has convened and in which it is participating alongside the following cancer and disaster organizations: the American Cancer Society; American Society for Radiation Oncology; ASCO; Association of Community Cancer Centers; Direct Relief; Florida Blue; Florida Society of Clinical Oncology; Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School; The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.; Migrant Clinicians Network; Moffitt Cancer Center; National Cancer Institute; Oncology Nursing Society; Partners HealthCare; Elderly Transportation Service LLC (TRANSCITA); UnitedHealthcare; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
To learn more about the California Wildfires Patient Assistance Program, visit cancercare.org/wildfires-program. ■
