To alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment, the American Cancer Society  (ACS) recently awarded a $4,000 transportation grant to Ivinson Memorial Hospital. The grant is one of 380  transportation grants totaling $6.2 million awarded to health systems nationwide. The funding will allow health systems  to provide eligible patients an estimated 577,350 rides to treatment.  

“In Wyoming, access to life-saving cancer care may be several hours away from home for our patients,” said Meredith  and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center Director Amy Smith. “With this grant from the American Cancer Society we will be able  to assist patients traveling to and from their appointments here in Laramie. We will also be able to help with the cost  burden for those requiring specialty care with our partners in Denver at Anschutz Medical Center, Colorado Blood  Institute and Swedish Medical Center.” 

Why Transportation Funding is Needed: 

Lack of transportation to treatment prevents many people living with cancer from getting high-quality care which worsens  cancer outcomes.  

• In a study presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium,  American Cancer Society researchers found that 2.8% 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.  

• 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.”  

The American Cancer Society believes all people should have a fair and just opportunity to live a longer, healthier life  free from cancer regardless of how much money they make, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability  status or where they live. In addition to providing transportation funding to health systems, the American Cancer Society  runs a Road To Recovery program that provides free rides to and from treatment.

Learn more about cancer care at Ivinson on our website: ivinsonhospital.org 

Ivinson Memorial Hospital is a 99-bed, freestanding, locally organized and governed non-profit community hospital dedicated to providing high  quality healthcare services to the residents of Albany County since 1917. Services include emergency, behavioral health, cardiac rehabilitation,  cardiopulmonary, rehabilitation, medical care, surgical care, intensive care, dialysis, family care, as well as a Cancer Center and Diabetes Clinic.  Ivinson Memorial Hospital is affiliated with the University of Colorado Health. IMH is fully accredited and meets all standards of the Joint  Commission (an independent, not-for-profit organization). IMH is also accredited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.