Lifting a Financial Burden for Patients
Helping patients make ends meet

Like most of the country, western Pennsylvania has felt the financial impact of the current economy. Record high gas prices and the rising cost of food have forced many Americans to tighten their budgets.

Now imagine being diagnosed with cancer. Patients receiving cancer treatments are often unable to work due to the impact of both the disease and the therapy. In addition to normal day-to-day expenses, patients are dealing with costs for doctor visits, lab work, and other specialty care. Even with health insurance, the deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses can strain any budget.

According to medical oncologist Barry C. Lembersky, MD, a cancer diagnosis can place tremendous financial stress on a person.

“It is well-known that a cancer diagnosis has a wide-reaching effect on a patient's life," says Dr. Lembersky. “The disease can create an undue burden on those already with financial needs. In some cases, a patient may make the decision to forego treatment, with dire consequences for survival and quality of life.”

In 2005, UPMC Cancer Centers established the Patient Assistance Fund to help cancer patients across the network overcome some of the financial barriers associated with completing their treatment. The fund is designed to provide partial, short-term assistance to help eligible patients with care-related costs such as transportation, medical equipment, nutritional supplements, prosthetic devices, and lodging for themselves or family members.

Making Choices to Make Ends Meet

When Darryl Wilson was diagnosed in 2006 with non-Hodgkin's follicular lymphoma, he and his wife were not prepared for all the extra expenses associated with cancer treatments.

Like many cancer patients, Darryl faced costs associated with his treatment that seemed overwhelming. Darryl was unable to work due to the rigorous treatments, and his wife was working a limited schedule to take him to appointments. Although he was receiving sick pay, it was not enough to cover the additional expenses related to his care. Then the plant where Darryl had been working shut down. The couple needed to find a way to make ends meet.

A patient navigator at UPMC/Jameson Cancer Center helped the Wilsons to explore ways to ease their financial burden. Darryl and his family had no idea that programs like the Patient Assistance Fund existed. They credit the fund with helping them to pay for gas while he finished his radiation therapy.

“I realize that everyone has problems, but overcoming obstacle after obstacle became the central theme throughout my treatment. The Giant Eagle gift cards came at the right time, and enabled me to finish my radiation therapy,” Wilson said.

Throughout the UPMC Cancer Centers network, managers, social workers, and at some sites, patient navigators are available to counsel patients experiencing financial hardships about available resources.

“When a patient has needs that are not met after exhausting external programs, our staff can recommend the patient for assistance through the fund,” says Lyn Robertson, DrPH, associate director, Cancer Control Services, UPMC Cancer Centers.

The Patient Assistance Fund can provide up to $500 in support to a qualifying patient during a 12-month period. Giant Eagle gift cards are popular, because patients can use them to purchase gas, groceries, and nutritional supplements. The funds also can be used to pay for durable medical equipment and wigs.

A Supportive Community

Over the years, the fund has received support from a variety of sources. Local businesses, including Eyetique, Silpada Designs Jewelry, and Little's Shoes, have held special promotions and donated a portion of their sales to benefit the fund. Kids and a Cause, a philanthropic organization put together by local children, makes and sells purses to raise money. The members of the organization chose to give the proceeds to the Patient Assistance Fund because someone close to them received great care at Hillman Cancer Center.

Even physicians and UPMC Cancer Centers employees have chosen to put their charitable dollars toward the fund to help patients. Dr. Lembersky, who is a major contributor, sees the fund as a way to help patients like Darryl to meet basic, everyday needs to live life beyond the scope of their treatments. “

The fund helps to make sure the rest of the patient's life gets attended to as well.”

Since its inception, the fund has helped more than 700 patients throughout western Pennsylvania.

DeeDee Sacco’s Fight for Life

Undergoing treatment at Hillman Cancer Center for a rare sarcoma of the lung, DeeDee Sacco became friendly with another patient while they were both participating in a clinical trial. The woman appeared to be very ill. When DeeDee asked her why she was so sick, the woman told her it was because she could not afford her prescriptions.

DeeDee decided that it was her mission to give other cancer patients the support that she was so fortunate to have.

Throughout her own treatments she offered fellow patients emotional support, and sometimes even financial support, when needed.

Although DeeDee lost her battle with cancer in 2004, her passion to help other cancer patients lives on through her family and friends. They continue to celebrate her life and her dream by raising funds through DeeDee Sacco’s Fight for Life, a non-profit organization benefiting UPMCCancer Centers’ Patient Assistance Fund.

Alana Sacco, DeeDee’s mother and chairman of the board for the organization, has found a sense of joy in raising money for the Patient Assistance Fund.

“Knowing this is what DeeDee would have wanted got the committee started,” says Mrs. Sacco. “Having helped so many families get through difficult times keeps us going.”

In January 2008, DeeDee Sacco’s Fight for Life presented UPMC Cancer Centers with a check for $70,000, bringing the group’s grand total to $155,000 over the past three years.

The volunteer organization has raised more than $30,000 through the sale of bracelets featuring a rainbow of 12 colors representing different types of cancer. Silvana Conroy, a childhood friend of DeeDee’s and president of the organization, says that the bracelets have created a far-reaching bond.

“When I wear the bracelet people approach me and ask where I got it,” says Mrs. Conroy. “Then they tell me where they got their bracelet and it usually leads back to our organization. It’s been a great experience.”

DeeDee Sacco’s Fight for Life also hosts an annual cocktail party at the LeMont, located in the Mount Washington section of Pittsburgh, and a golf outing at Hill Crest Country Club, located east of the city.

According to Mrs. Sacco, the organization owes its success to all of the volunteers.

“I can’t say enough about how generous our supporters and volunteers have been. We could not have helped as many families without their commitment. DeeDee would have been proud.”

For more information about the organization, visit its website at www.deedeefightforlife.org.