A major healthcare roadblock just got closer to being cleared for many Northshore cancer patients.
St. Tammany Hospital Foundation this month landed a $20,000 transportation grant from the American Cancer Society to address needs of patients at St. Tammany Cancer Center, a campus of Ochsner Medical Center.
The cancer center, a joint project of Ochsner and St. Tammany Health System, is scheduled to relocate to a new, state-of-the-art facility this summer near the intersection of Interstate 12 and Highway 21 just south of the current St. Tammany Cancer Center.
According to Chryl Corizzo RN BSN, the clinical quality coordinator at the cancer center, transportation is a major issue for many cancer patients. In some cases, it prompts patients to forgo treatment all together, one study has shown.
The American Cancer Society grant will be used to alleviate those concerns for local patients.
“St. Tammany Health System is committed to addressing the barriers to care that may exist for some of its patients, including transportation, which 20% of recently surveyed patients listed as one of the top barriers to treatment,” Corizzo said. “Our cancer team's goal is to quickly identify individuals with transportation barriers and provide the necessary resources needed, and this grant will help us do that.”
Learn how you can support cancer care at STHFoundation.org.