Bliss Cancer Resource Center Receives $10,000 Transportation Grant to Benefit People in Cancer Treatment
AMES, IA -- To alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recently awarded the William R. Bliss Cancer Resource Center a $10,000 transportation grant.
The grant will be used to help patients cover the cost of getting to their scheduled treatment. The Bliss Cancer Resource Center is based at Mary Greeley Medical Center and is a service of Mary Greeley and McFarland Clinic. In 2022, the Cancer Resource Center received at $5,000 grant that provided 660 one-way rides and served 185 cancer patients.
“Because we cover such a wide area of central Iowa, many of our patients drive several miles for treatment,” said Sarah Heikens, director of Oncology Services at Mary Greeley. “This generous support from the American Cancer Society is such a help to these patients, providing not only financial assistance but peace of mind as well.”
In a study presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium, American Cancer Society researchers found that nearly 3 percent 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.
Also, according to the American Cancer Society’s 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. They also have higher out of pocket medical costs compared to people without a history of cancer. The economic burden of cancer is more profound in survivors who are younger or were diagnosed in childhood, underinsured or uninsured, and have lower incomes.
“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 from impacting survival,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society. “The local health systems we partner with across the country use this funding to deliver assistance directly to the patients who need it most.”
