Cancer Initiatives

Supporting Oncology Programs

Oncology Patient Assistance Fund

Community Health Network is committed to helping its patients break down the barriers to care, including financial barriers. Making financial burdens less worrisome allows patients to focus more on their treatments and their families. Each year, the number of people seeking exceptional cancer care at Community continued to increase, and the need for financial assistance grows as well. In all five of Community’s cancer centers, social workers, nurse navigators and financial counselors distribute patient assistance gift cards — $250 each and made possible by donors — to help patients access food, medicine, transportation and more. In 2022, the program expanded to meet the growing needs of patients and now offers housing and utilities assistance as well.

Hear from April, a grateful patient, about what this fund meant to her during breast cancer treatment.

Integrative Medicine

The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine defines integrative medicine as “the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.” The majority of adults with cancer use some form of complementary and alternative medicine while in treatment and often into survivorship. With the support of donors, Community cancer patients are provided with access to an array of recommended practices that accompany and extend beyond more conventional medical treatments. These holistic services like art therapy, yoga, tai chi, massage, meditation and movement therapy are shown to reduce adverse symptoms.

“My stress seems to cause severe increase in overall muscle spasms and tightness from chronic pain. I used to get weekly deep muscle release but can no longer afford this with increase in medical bills and on Medicare, so this program has been a godsend to me.”
-Grateful patient

Survivorship Program

An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis, through the balance of his or her life. Thriving, not simply surviving, is Community’s goal for every cancer patient. The mission of Community Health Network Cancer Survivorship Program is to address the overall impact of a diagnosis of cancer and the early and late effects of cancer therapy, through seeking to improve the cancer survivors’ health and quality of life. Through a continuum of care that integrates specialty care programs, advance practice nursing and primary care providers, Community’s survivorship program empowers survivors to continually renew their health and coaches them on educating their families and healthcare team about their needs.

You can help support cancer patients throughout their journey.

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