Cost of Cancer is on the Rise

Portions of the following post were pulled from an article on Scientific American online. 

There's been a new report released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that says that the cost of cancer care in our country is not going to be decreasing anytime soon. According to the report, published online January 12th, the financial burden of cancer is expected to rise precipitously in the next 10 years—despite decreasing incidence numbers. 

"Rising health-care costs represent a central challenge for both the federal government and the private sector," wrote the study authors, led by Angela Mariotto of the Surveillance Research Program at the National Cancer Institute. Overall 2009 healthcare costs in the U.S. were about $2.5 trillion, and spending is expected to increase to some $4.6 trillion by 2019. Based on Medicare data and other sources, the new analysis shows that in 2010, cancer care for 16 common types of cancers in U.S. women and 13 common types of cancers in U.S. men tallied up to $124.6 billion.

Those are some BIG numbers. And it's not even taking in ALL cancers... only 16 common types.

As you can imagine, Northwest Arkansas is not immune to the effect of rising costs for cancer care. In 2010 Hope Cancer Resources provided services and financial assistance valued at $687,690.00 to 1,489 cancer patients and their families. These were services that would have been paid for out of people's pockets if we were not here to provide them.

Or not...

One of the main reasons we do what we do is because local oncologists were seeing too many of their patients not showing up for appointments or taking the medications that were prescribed for them. Once the physician creates a treatment plan, that patient has to be able to follow that plan in order for the treatment to be successful. If a patient can't pay for gasoline, or loses their car to repossession, all the treatment plans in the world won't help that patient get to their radiation or chemotherapy appointments.

Similarly, if an individualized cocktail of medications is prescribed to manage symptoms and begin fighting the disease, but a patient is forced to choose to pay for those drugs or pay the mortgage - which do you think they will choose? Cancer treatment doesn't have to last more than a few months - it depends on the type and treatment - but sometimes those few months are all it takes to put a family into financial crisis.

That's what we're here for. We provide temporary support to cancer patients and their families during those crucial few months - or longer if that's what it takes - to help them get out of treatment and into the "recovery" stage. At times, there are continued needs from an emotional standpoint, but the financial crisis that can be crippling is usually over by that time, and patients and families are better able to look forward with hope.

We anticipate a growing number of patients needing our services in 2011. Not only because, as the articles predict, the costs will continue to increase, but also because more people are going to be treated in Northwest Arkansas when a new Highlands Oncology Group clinic opens in Rogers. Expanded patient care means expanded expenses. We would love for you to join us in making cancer treatment a little less stressful for your friends and neighbors... Consider making a gift today - it could change someone's life tomorrow.

Hablamos Espanol!

Hearing the words "You have cancer." is emotionally challenging even when you speak your doctor's language... imagine seeing their grave expression and knowing something is seriously wrong but not being able to completely understand what they are saying. An enormous amount of information is given to a new patient and their caregivers when a diagnosis of cancer is made. There are treatment plans to discuss and sign off on, prescriptions to get filled and take correctly... lots of information from lots of different people. It can be overwhelming for anyone, regardless of their native language.

At Hope Cancer Resources we have a Spanish language interpreter and a social worker who work with patients and provide interpretation services for them and their families. Kathy Taylor, our interpreter, and Adela Martinez, one of our licensed social workers, can answer questions on the phone, meet with new patients at Highlands Oncology Clinic, or accompany a family to medical and other appointments that are required to support their diagnosis. Kathy also helps translate the materials we provide to the community as well, an invaluable asset as we work toward our goal of reaching ALL of Northwest Arkansas with our services and educational programs.

There is no good way to learn you have cancer. But with a little bit of help, we hope we can take away the uncertainty and confusion that language barriers can cause. 

For more information on translation services, contact Kathy Taylor at 479-361-5847 or kathy.taylor@hopecancerresources.org

 

As you can see by the change in the look of our blog, we've been experiencing a few changes here in our little corner of the world. Helping Oncology Patients Excel has merged with Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and has now become Hope Cancer Resources. We will continue to offer all of the free programs that were previously managed by the individual agencies, including:

• Cancer Screenings
• Prevention Education
• Interpretation Services
• Emotional Support
• Financial Support
• Support Groups
• Clinical Trial Access
  
• Educational Materials & Speakers
• Transportation Services

The effect this merger will have on our patients, and on the general health and well-being of our friends and neighbors in NW Arkansas, is tremendous. As one agency, we will no longer compete for funding from local grant-making organizations. We will be able to blend our overlapping services and serve a growing number of cancer patients and their caregivers with increased and more focused resources. We are now located in a larger and more centrally-located building. Programs we have had on our "someday" list will now be able to be made a reality. Can you see why we're excited??

A new website is currently in the works, and should be live sometime around the first of the new year. Until then, keep in touch with what's going on here on our blog. It's the season to be thankful, and we at Hope Cancer Resources have a great deal of good things to remember as we contemplate where we are, and where we're headed... and we couldn't do all the good work we do without your help.

Thank YOU, Northwest Arkansas!!

Oncology Social Workers - healing and giving HOPE

Most of us would assume that the words "You have Cancer." delivered by a medical professional would make us afraid for our health. Physical limitations might follow, which would be fairly easy to predict. Fear of death is a given, and we would probably think of our family, and the burden that we might become on them while we are ill.

But even though you expect the physical and emotional results of the diagnosis, you may not know the stress that dealing with a diagnosis and the resulting treatment brings, can have a very real impact on the ability a patient has to heal, recover, and survive. In fact, patients who receive phycho-social support in the form of counseling and support group activities have a higher rate of survival than those who do not. For that reason, cancer centers all over the U.S. are starting to add a social work component to their treatment plans.

HOPE, Inc. employs three licensed social workers in order to provide assistance to cancer patients in northwest Arkansas. Starting with the initial visit a patient makes to Highland's Oncology Clinic in Fayetteville, a social worker is assigned to assess their needs for financial and emotional assistance, and to keep in touch with that patient to continue access to our services as they make the frightening and sometimes confusing journey through cancer treatment.

Even if a cancer patient is not being treated at the Fayetteville Highland's, they can still receive emotional and financial support from HOPE if they live in Washington, Benton, Carroll or Madison counties. For more information on our services please contact us at 479-571-4673 or visit our website at http://www.hopenwa.org/.

HOPE loves Highland's Oncology Group!!

We recently conducted an employee campaign with our friends at Highland's Oncology Group, and are thrilled to report that our efforts surpassed our goal! The generous staff there have pledged to give over $21,000 in the coming year to HOPE!! Wow!

Thank you Highland's staff ~ for supporting us every day in the clinics, and for supporting us through 2009 with your wonderful donations!!!

Because of your gifts, we will be able to help hundreds more patients this year!

This wonderful outpouring of support from the Highland's staff underscores the need for more
collaborative work in the field of cancer care. HOPE was created by a group of Highland's physicians and former patients in 2001, and we partner with them to provide a range of services aimed at helping their patients successfully complete their treatments and focus on recovery. The research and the work done by dedicated medical personnel don't have the desired effect if the patients can't afford their prescriptions or fill up their gas tank to get to appointments, or if they are so overwhelmed with fear and depression that they can't follow the treatment plan.

Not only do we provide emergency financial assistance for patients who, as one of our patients put it, "can't afford to have cancer", but we also offer emotional support for those who are struggling to balance family, finances, work, and their diagnosis. Cancer can be overwhelming in the best of situations, but add one more challenge to the mix and, for many, it becomes an obstacle that seems unsurmountable.

Special thanks also goes out to the businesses that donated

prizes we drew for at the end of the week:

Flora

Something Urban

Nightbird Books

The Rabbit's Lair

War Eagle Mill

Mason's Boutique

The Copper Pig

Hiland Dairy

A Change of Seasons

It seems that for many people a change of seasons gives pause; makes us think critically about the past few months and look hopefully to the future. We look around us and make plans to change things that haven't been working for us. We find ways to improve our circumstances... whether it be our employment situation, or just the way our laundry room is organized. It's a change - a chance to shed one situation and start fresh. Funny how this happens just due to a change in temperature, isn't it?

This cultural phenomena is mirrored in the way that we react to the news of having cancer. All of a sudden, what was stressful or challenging before is no longer looming as large. Or perhaps those situations are still affecting our lives, but we see them through a different filter. The filter called Cancer changes our perspective in many ways, large and small.

At HOPE, we meet with people every day who have just started seeing through that filter. They still have challenges - and they may be facing new ones - but with our help they find resources and meet people who have been where they are and can help anticipate some of the things that are on their horizon as they go through their treatments.

One of the things we have had on our plate over the last few months was our 5th Annual Bill Fleeman Gentlemen of Distinction Fashion Show. It was held October 10 in Rogers, and we were all thrilled to see the evening arrive and the attendees enjoying themselves. We had almost 450 there that evening, and $65,000.00 was raised to benefit HOPE throughout the next year. Big thanks goes out to our presenting sponsors, Harps and Price Cutter, and all the models who risked their reputation to strut down the runway for us:

Blake Evans, Scott Crossett, Derek Gibson, Art Morris, Patrick Woodruff, Chris Haimbach, Tony Hui, Gerald Jordan, J. Max Van Hoose, Roger Gildehaus, Scott Hancock, and James Keenan were all fantastic!

Thanks too, to Sidney P. Davis, Jr., the recipient of our Bill Fleeman Gentleman of Distinction award that evening. Sid and his lovely wife, Rita, have been supporters of HOPE for many years, and recently donated to the new cancer care facility being built at UAMS in Little Rock. They are wonderful supporters of our mission, and that of cancer care throughout the state.

We hope you are looking forward to a lovely holiday season with your friends and family. Please remember us as you consider your gifts this year - a donation to HOPE provides assistance to those in our community who may be finding it hard to enjoy the holidays. We appreciate your support.

Happy Hour 4 HOPE big success!

On September 5 we kicked off a new fundraising venture, called Happy Hour 4 HOPE at Jose's Southwestern Grille in Springdale, Arkansas. Our friends, FOS Project, played to a packed patio for almost five hours! (photos coming soon!!) They are a great band - be sure to check their website for upcoming concert dates.

We saw many old friends, and made some new ones. Folks from HOPE spoke about the programs we make available to cancer patients living or being treated in Northwest Arkansas, and donations from the evening totaled over $2,200!

We want to thank all those who came out to see us and hear FOS Project play. Thanks also goes to Jose's for their help in putting the event together and their donation of $200.00. But most of all, thank you to everyone who gave a little or a lot to support the important work that HOPE does to support cancer patients as they navigate what is likely the most difficult time in their lives. Your support helps us do what we do!

Don't forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming Bill Fleeman Gentlemen of Distinction Fashion Show presented by Harps and Price Cutter on October 10. An award will be presented to Sidney P. Davis, Jr. for his commitment to support cancer care in Northwest Arkansas and beyond, and twelve local gentlemen will be modeling the latest fashions from SOHO Clothiers. The evening will also include a delicious dinner, an exciting live auction, and inspiring patient stories. Ticket and table information can be obtained by calling us at 479.571.4673. See you there!

Why we do what we do

All non-profit organizations have a "mission statement". It helps explain their existence and gives the staff and volunteers a sense of purpose in their work. HOPE's mission is unique in that we provide hands-on psychosocial and financial assistance directly to patients in need. Last year, we touched the lives of 73% of the patients estimated to have been diagnosed with cancer in northwest Arkansas. Very often, this mission comes home to us in a very sobering way, not only fueling our determination to reach as many patients as possible, but also reminding us that life and family and security is precious. And for some, fleeting.

On June 9th, 2008 Jessica and our summer intern, Hannah, were told by the nurses at Highlands Oncology Clinic that a walk-in patient was waiting to see a doctor and would probably need assistance. They also informed them that the patient, “Ashley” aged 33 years old, would not need our help long-term because her cancer was everywhere and she would probably not live another month.

When Jessica and Hannah went to meet Ashley in the waiting room, she was leaning against the front desk counter in pain, unable to sit in a chair. Ashley and her step-grandmother slowly followed them back to the consultation room where she continued to stand in pain with tears in her eyes. The distress tool, a survey she had filled out in the waiting room, indicated Ashley was highly stressed and in need of financial and emotional services, but the most striking aspect of the form was one word Ashley had scribbled - “Terrified.”

As our staff visited with Ashley to discern her needs and try to give her a sense of comfort and hope, she talked about not wanting to die and shared her desire to go back to school. It was heartbreaking to hear her story through her tears as they knew her situation was dire. It was soon revealed that Ashley had a 14 year old son who did not know she was sick. He was at a summer camp and would be there until the 28th of June. This caused some concern because our staff knew it was possible Ashley would not be alive by the time her son came home.

As she spoke to Jessica and Hannah, Ashley indicated that she and her son were the only support each other had. The step-grandmother was willing to take them in and take Ashley to her doctor appointments, but Ashley did not have any money or other assets and had been denied disability and unemployment. She was in the midst of a Medicaid spend down so she did not have anything to contribute to the extra costs that the grandmother was taking on.

When Ashley exited her appointment with the doctor that same day, Hannah was outside the exam room with a fuel card, literature to help Ashley prepare to tell her son of her diagnosis, a cancer care application to help her receive extra funds, and adult diapers for her hemorrhaging. Ashley was comforted by the immediate help and a familiar face in the oncology clinic.

To date, we have helped Ashley with $425.00 in gasoline, $270.00 in prescription assistance, and obtaining other resources for her. Ashley and her son are doing well. HOPE, Inc. is continuing to help her as she enters her last week of treatment.

This is why we do what we do.

HOPE's mission inspires corporate support!

As we move through the summer and juggle staff vacation requests, we are reminded all too often that cancer never takes a vacation. For that reason we must keep our focus as clear now as we do any other time of the year.

We are excited to report, as we kick off our new fiscal year, that two generous companies have stepped forward to help us with that focus by giving donations to HOPE!

HARPS and Price Cutter have joined HOPE for the second year-in-a-row as the Presenting Sponsor of our fifth annual Bill Fleeman Gentlemen of Distinction Fashion Show event scheduled for October 10, 2008. Although they usually do not commit to consecutive sponsorships such as this, the work HOPE has done in the community that has affected HARPS and Price Cutter employees was valuable enough to inspire them to join us again this year. We are so grateful for their support and commitment to helping us help oncology patients excel in Northwest Arkansas!

Wal-Mart has fulfilled a grant request and will donate $10,000 to be used to expand our patient assistance program. HOPE’s patient assistance program strives to help local cancer patients with a combination of financial and emotional services aimed at reducing their distress during treatment. Through the services of licensed oncology social workers, patients are evaluated for psychosocial needs and a series of services are provided based on the individual concerns of that patient. Services include: prescription and emergency financial assistance, crisis intervention, resource mobilization, supportive and therapeutic counseling and education for coping, care giving and other mental health concerns.

Next time you are visiting with your friends or associates who work for HARPS, Price-Cutter or Wal-Mart please tell them how much it means to you for them to support HOPE, Inc.

Social Workers in Cancer Care

Did you know HOPE, Inc. is home to the only social workers dedicated specifically to oncology in our region? Pretty cool, right? But what exactly IS an "oncology social worker"? What do they do? How can they help a patient undergoing cancer treatment?

Oncology social workers help persons with cancer and their loved ones in many ways:

They help individuals ~
* Access information to help understand diagnoses and treatments
* Cope with diagnoses and the emotions experienced
* Plan for the logistics of cancer care
* Apply for programs that offer assistance
* Find temporary housing during treatment

We can offer ~
* Counseling for patients and their loved ones
* Assessments of distress and suggestions for coping
* Information about available support groups and educational programs
* Referrals to community resources
* Information about national resources
* Planning and facilitation of support groups

We can teach about ~
* Communicating with treatment team
* Reducing stress and relaxation skills
* Coping with emotions such as sadness, fear, anger and worry
* Talking with children, family, friends or co-workers
* The basics of hospice care
* Living with cancer
* Life as a cancer survivor

At HOPE we do all of this and more for local oncology patients. We are champions for interventions that enhance the quality of life and survivorship of those we work with. We are extremely fortunate that we also have our own patient services programs to directly assist patients with practical and emotional needs.

Our social workers are licensed in the state of Arkansas, which means they have degrees in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, have successfully completed Board approved examinations, and have undergone a criminal background check. They are also members of the professional organization Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW). AOSW's 1100+ members embrace the mission "to advance excellence in the psychosocial care of persons with cancer, their families, and caregivers through networking, education, advocacy, research and resource development."

HOPE is a community leader in the psychosocial care of persons with cancer - and our social workers make it happen.