When someone is told they have cancer, many ‘what ifs’ often come to mind. And one that many patients face is “what if I can’t make it to my treatments?”

Access to treatment is a major barrier to cancer care. No matter how promising a cancer treatment plan is, it is ultimately irrelevant if the patient is unable to get to the designated location in order to receive treatment. According to The Oncologist, “Travel burden negatively influences stage at diagnosis, appropriate treatment, outcome and quality of life in cancer patients.”

More than 3.5 million people every year do not receive access to medical care because of a lack of transportation (American Hospital Association). Cancer patients who do not have the resources or are physically unable to drive themselves to treatment often find themselves in such a predicament. This is where our Patient Transportation Program comes in.

Since 2010, our professional team of 10 drivers has provided transportation to and from cancer-related medical appointments for patients who would otherwise be unable to make it to their treatments. We are able to provide transportation to patients who live within a 60-mile radius of Highlands Oncology Group in Fayetteville or Rogers and Landmark Cancer Center in Rogers. This service is provided at no cost, regardless of the length of time or frequency a patient requires our assistance.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a patient tell me that if it weren’t for Hope Cancer Resources providing transportation, they would not be able to get treatment at all,” said Jerrie Carter, Hope Cancer Resources Transportation Supervisor. “The thought that our service is literally standing in the gap between life and death for our patients is very sobering, but that is the reality for many of them. Our transportation department takes that mission very seriously.”

Paula Gilmer, a local cancer survivor, is unable to drive to and from many of her cancer-related appointments due to side effects related to her treatment, so we stepped in to fill the gap. We have transported Paula more than 40 times since the summer of 2018. We are committed to providing transportation for daily, weekly and monthly cancer treatments as well as other medical appointments related to a patient’s diagnosis.
“Thank you for the transportation,” said a family member of a patient whom we have transported. “It made making it to his appointments a reality. We asked for help and you made it happen.”

On average, our drivers transport 98 patients over 21,796 miles every month. We transported more than 300 patients in 2018, traveling nearly 240,000 miles, a distance that is farther than the earth is from the moon.

We are dedicated to making patient rides to and from treatments as pleasant and timely as possible. If you are a patient facing a transportation barrier to access your cancer-related appointments, please give us a call at 479-361-5847.