"The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Alabama."
Photo by: Andrea MabryCancer patients undergoing treatment frequently require assistance getting to and from facilities, often creating a financial and logistical burden. That is why the American Cancer Society has awarded an Emergency Lodging Grant to the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. These funds will be used to address the lodging needs of cancer patients in Birmingham.
An estimated 28,570 Alabama residents will learn they have cancer this year, and getting to their scheduled treatments may be one of their greatest roadblocks. To help patients get the critical care they need, American Cancer Society Emergency Lodging Grants are awarded at a local level to health systems and treatment centers. These grant funds focus on addressing unmet lodging needs of cancer patients, particularly vulnerable populations experiencing an unequal burden of cancer.
“Disparities predominantly arise from inequities in work, wealth, income, education, housing and overall standard of living, as well as social barriers to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection and treatment services,” said Maryhelen Kirkpatrick, executive director of the American Cancer Society. “The Society collaborates with community health partners to reach individuals in areas with higher burdens of cancer and limited or no access to lodging because even the best treatment can’t work if a patient can’t get there.”
Jordan DeMoss, vice president for Clinical Operations at UAB Hospital, says this grant will help fill a desperate need for some patients and their families.
“As the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Alabama, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB provides cutting-edge care to patients across the state and beyond,” DeMoss said. “Many patients have to travel long distances for cancer treatment every day. Many of these patients are too fatigued or sick to drive themselves to treatment each day and cannot afford to pay for lodging in the city where they receive treatment. Access to care is a big problem in our country, with low-income people of color and those living in rural communities suffering the most from disparities. Lodging programs are vital for these patients to get the treatments they need and deserve.”
The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB is the only location in Alabama to receive this grant.
For additional information about the American Cancer Society, call 800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.