HealthWell and Family Reach Join Forces to Expand Access to Oncology Clinical Trial Patients

GERMANTOWN, Md., May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation^®, an independent non-profit charitable organization that provides financial assistance for underinsured Americans, as part of its ongoing commitment to The White House Cancer Moonshot, is honored to announce its sponsorship of Family Reach's Clinical Trial Access Fund, which provides financial support to qualified oncology patients enrolled in an oncology clinical trial in the United States. Together, the organizations seek to improve equitable access to these innovative and potentially lifesaving treatments.

The fund will provide financial assistance for food, transportation, housing, and utilities. Removing these barriers to care improves the likelihood of ongoing compliance with clinical protocols and a patient's chances of survival. Patients will have the opportunity to access Family Reach's full suite of services designed to help them meet their basic needs over the long term, including navigation connecting them to local programs (food banks, housing assistance, utility payment relief programs, etc.) and tip sheets and guidebooks for saving money and talking about finances during treatment.

"Today is Clinical Trials Day, and we're proud to announce HealthWell's sponsorship to further commemorate this significant day for people facing cancer," said Carla Tardif, Family Reach Chief Executive Officer. "Science has come so far, but it's outpacing the patient experience; hundreds of thousands of patients can't afford gas to get to their care center or stable housing. If a patient can't meet these basic needs, cancer treatment is put on hold. With the launch of the Clinical Trials Access Fund powered by the HealthWell Foundation, we're breaking down barriers to innovative care and helping more patients gain more moments and memories with loved ones."

The HealthWell Foundation and Family Reach are both recognized resources in The White House Cancer Moonshot.

HealthWell Foundation's Chief Development Officer, Alan Klein, commented on the sponsorship, "Assisting the oncology community in accessing critical medical treatments has always been a priority for HealthWell. Last year, as part of our commitment to the Cancer Moonshot initiative, we pledged to begin providing financial assistance in 2024 to qualified clinical trial patients. We are thrilled to bring this commitment to fruition through our sponsorship of the Clinical Trials Access Fund initiated and managed by Family Reach. We look forward to working together to eliminate obstacles in accessing these trials so oncology patients can focus on compliance and not the financial challenges associated with cancer." 

To learn more about HealthWell programs and our robust disease fund portfolio, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.

About Family Reach
Family Reach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides non-medical financial support to families facing cancer. Treatment requires more than medicine — families need a roof over their heads and food on their tables to survive. If a family can't meet these basic needs, cancer treatment takes a back seat. We work with patients, providers, and community organizations to challenge the systems that force families to choose between their health and their home. Together, we're making financial treatment a standard of cancer care.

About the HealthWell Foundation
A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003 and a resource to the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net across over 90 disease areas for more than 930,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $4 billion in financial support through more than 1.5 million grants to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly; HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 23rd on the 2023 Forbes list of America's Top 100 Charities and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For more information, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.

CONTACT:
Ginny Dunn
240-632-5309
ginny.dunn@healthwellfoundation.org

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SOURCE HealthWell Foundation