Filling the Gap

An article was recently published listing ten states that are "dying for healthcare coverage". Unfortunately, Arkansas hits the list at no. 3, just behind Louisiana and Mississippi. According to the report by 24/7 Wall St., "Arkansas had the second-lowest cost of health care in the U.S. However, with 18.8% of the population living below the poverty line and a median annual household income of just over $38,307 - both among the lowest figures for any state - many Arkansans cannot afford private health coverage. As a result, just 58.78% of the population has private insurance."

It has long been understood by medical providers that people who lack healthcare insurance put off routine care because they fear the cost of doctor visits and potential tests or procedures they can't afford. According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2012, "Lack of health insurance and other barriers prevent many Americans from receiving optimal health care, and uninsured patients... are substantially more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage, when treatment can be more extensive and more costly."*

One of our core goals at Hope Cancer Resources is to enhance quality of life in our community of Northwest Arkansas. To reach that goal, we help provide access to cancer-related medical care and information for individuals who, because of financial hardships and lack of adequate insurance coverage, would otherwise be unable to receive it. We do this in several ways:

• Cancer prevention education is provided free-of-charge to civic groups, schools, clubs, churches and businesses that request it. Our certified health education specialists can meet with groups of all sizes, visit your health fair, or simply provide take-home information. Just let us know what you need.

• A Spanish interpreter is available to help Spanish-speaking patients receive information from their medical appointments in their own language. This assistance helps build trust between patient and physician, and helps ensure that treatment plans will be followed correctly, making successful recovery more likely.

• Transportation is provided to individuals who are unable to drive because of their medical condition, or who are without transportation altogether. We also provide gas cards if a patient is able to drive but is having trouble paying for gas. This happens often if a patient is required to travel out of our area for part of their treatment, or if they are driving long distances frequently - such as for radiation patients living in Carroll or Madison counties and driving to a clinic in Fayetteville or Rogers for a six-week stretch of daily radiation treatments.

• Financial assistance is provided through our Save-A-Life Cancer Screening Program to help individuals pay for physician-recommended cancer screenings. Research shows that regular screening exams can result in the detection of removal of precancerous growths as well as the diagnosis of cancers at an early stage (when they are most treatable). But for some patients the cost of screening tests can be a barrier and result in a delay in care that can potentially be life-threatening. We also hold annual screenings for prostate and skin cancer serving 400 individuals, and provide take-home colorectal screening kits to 500 individuals every year.

The mission of Hope Cancer Resources is to provide compassionate, professional cancer support and education in the Northwest Arkansas region today and tomorrow. As long as there are statistics like those listed at the beginning of this post, we will continue to work toward our vision of being recognized as the premier source for comprehensive cancer support services while enhancing quality of life. And hopefully, we'll help get Arkansas off that list.

For information on our prevention and education programs, or to ask about our screenings and other support, contact Casey Shelor by email or at 479-361-5847.

*For more information on the relationship between health insurance and cancer, you can see the Special Section in Cancer Facts & Figures 2008 available online at www.cancer.org/statistics.