B.C. expands travel supports for cancer patients
Posted September 27, 2023 4:25 pm.
Last Updated September 27, 2023 4:52 pm.
The B.C. government has announced more financial support for cancer patients who need to travel long distances to receive care.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced the $20 million investment that will be split between the Canadian Cancer Society and Hope Air — a national charity that helps transport people to essential medical appointments free of charge.
Dix says the $10 million going toward the Canadian Cancer Society will expand its programs that help cover travel, food, and accommodation costs for patients and their caregivers. These include increases to vouchers handed out for food, taxi services, and hotel room stays.
The minister says these supports are also available for those who need to travel abroad for care. Earlier this year, the B.C. government announced that some cancer patients would be transported to care facilities in the United States for radiation treatments due to backlogs in care in the province.
There will also be increased travel support for patients with blood cancers who require blood transfusions in Vancouver.
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Meanwhile, Hope Air’s money will go toward increasing the number of yearly trips for patients needing cancer care from 1,000 to 2,500 by 2026.
“By providing grant funding to these two incredible charitable organizations, we are helping patients focus on receiving their cancer treatment at one of the six BC Cancer Centres or 41 community oncology network sites so they can get well as soon as possible,” Dix said.
The province says the two organizations have come up with a system to ensure people are connected with services they need regardless of which entity is first contacted.
“For instance, if a person requires a flight, they will automatically be connected to Hope Air, and if a person requires ground transportation and/or accommodation only, they will be connected directly to the Canadian Cancer Society,” a provincial release states.
The province adds patients with a household income of under $150,000 are eligible for the programs.
‘I feel like crying:’ former cancer patient on B.C.’s care backlog
The latest announcement comes as cancer care in the province is facing backlogs.
Anne Marie Evers was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013. She tells CityNews she gets emotional thinking about what patients in B.C. are going through right now.
“I feel like crying. I just feel that it’s so bad that we haven’t got doctors to handle the people here where we are in British Columbia,” she said.
Evers says if she was forced to travel for her care, it would have likely been too costly.
“That would have been terrible. I would have been away from my family … honestly, I couldn’t afford it.”
She says when she was going through her battle, she knew of others with the disease who were on waitlists to receive care because they couldn’t afford to travel to receive it elsewhere.
“In one case … she waited and waited and it was too late,” she said.
Evers says she hasn’t received cancer treatment or suffered symptoms for a number of years.
