FAMILY REACH

Family Reach has a goal to eliminate financial distress for cancer patients. Financial distress is a debilitating side effect of cancer. It occurs when the out-of-pocket costs associated with cancer treatment (e.g. travel, hotels, co-payments, deductibles) are high relative to a families' income, and when revenue is lost as treatment requires patients and families to reduce work hours.

Our strategy for implementing the Financial Treatment Project is to begin to integrate awareness and education, financial navigation, and coaching into the financial assistance services that are provided by the Family Reach programs staff. We are also engaging in pilot projects with our hospital partners to learn how these services can be implemented in healthcare settings. Another way we are approaching the implementation of our Financial Treatment Project is to partner with researchers who can evaluate the services using experimental designs so we can begin to understand which services work to eliminate financial distress, for whom, and in what settings.

For more than 20 years, Family Reach Foundation has been a financial lifeline for patients and families who experience cancer related financial distress by directly paying for emergent expenses related to basic needs (e.g. housing, transportation, food). The financial support from Family Reach frees up funds for families to pay for out-of-pocket costs for cancer treatment and contributes to families maintaining a sense of normalcy during a life changing health crises.

Stories from patients who have benefited from Family Reach suggested that the organization was missing opportunities to prevent financial distress before it occurred. For this reason, we have embarked on a Financial Treatment Project that will expanding the services that we provide (i.e. financial assistance) to including services that will build awareness and provide education about cancer related financial distress, financial navigation, and financial coaching. Our capability for delivering these services is enhanced by growing ecosystem of industry partners (e.g. pharma, lodging, financial) including a network of more than 200 hospitals and cancer centers nationwide, and advisory councils represented by families of cancer patients, social workers in hospitals, and researchers.

The expansion of our services through the Financial Treatment Project will be rolled out over the next 5 years so we do more for the families we serve. Our first pilot projects are underway, one in Boston and another in Seattle.