Trained medical professionals serve on the staff of many cancer patient assistance programs.
Coping with cancer is more than a medical challenge; it affects patients, family, friends and caregivers in physical, emotional and even financial capacities. Luckily, nationwide non-profit organizations exist to provide assistance to cancer patients. Help comes in numerous forms, from referring patients to treatment centers to providing them with the information they need to get well. Assistance programs help cancer patients become cancer survivors.
Patient Advocate Foundation
The Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that provides case management services to American patients with chronic, life threatening or debilitating illnesses, including cancer. Services provided by the PAF include active liaisons between patients and insurers, as well as employers and creditors. This foundation strives to protect patients via mediation, offers them access to medical care, helps retain their jobs and preserves their financial stability. The PAF also provides education, referrals and legal counseling. PAF's MedCareLine--a phone line staffed by trained caregivers--caters specifically to patients with colorectal cancer, while its Disparities Outreach program provides specific assistance to African American communities. Cancer patients may request PAF assistance via the organization's official website.
Patient Advocate Foundation
421 Butler Farm
Hampton, VA 23666
800-532-5274
patientadvocate.org
The National Cancer Institute
Part of the United States National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute focuses on cancer research and training. In areas of patient assistance, the institute provides accessible information about patient support, financial and insurance help, home care and hospice care. The NCI assists cancer patients via direct telephone lines, online chats and e-mail services staffed with cancer information specialists. The National Cancer Institute's website serves as a wide-ranging information database for patients, caregivers, family and friends. It contains information about managing physical and emotional cancer effects, helping children with cancer, cancer survivorship and managing financial, insurance and legal difficulties. NCI also lists recent clinical trial results and helps patients find nearby clinical trials. Online, the NCI helps patients find local health care services, including treatment facilities, at-home assistance and hospices.
NCI Office of Communications and Education
Public Inquiries Office
6116 Executive Blvd.
Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20892
800-422-6237
cancer.gov
Cancer Survivors On Line
Cancer Survivors On Line serves as an assistance program for patients recently diagnosed with cancer. This online-only support program provides an accessible database for patients, giving them access to inspiring survivor stories, listing numerous cancer assistance hot lines and providing cancer-related links. This online organization also provides a medical glossary, a guide to planning treatments and a reference section for further reading. Covering cancer types including breast, colorectal, gynecological, head and neck, leukemia, lung and urologic, Cancer Survivors On Line provides information and directories that assist patients in medical treatment and coping with emotions.
Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition
According to its official website, the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition--or CFAC--is a body of patient financial assistance programs. This group advocates on behalf of cancer patients undergoing financial burdens due to medical treatment and care, grants patients and providers access to financial assistance resources, and has links to financially-focused patient organizations. Organizations in the coalition include the American Cancer Society, the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, the HeathWell Foundation, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Co-Pay Assistance Program, the Max Foundation and Patient Services Incorporated. CFAC's online database allows patients and families to search by diagnosis, cancer type and location to find individually tailored financial assistance.
Tags: cancer patients, with cancer, Advocate Foundation, Cancer Institute, Cancer Survivors Line, National Cancer
