Just look around and you will see state-of-the-art cancer clinics like Highlands Cancer Center in Prestonsburg cropping up across the state to combat what has become the second-leading cause of death in Kentucky. The most recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on leading causes of death in Kentucky and the nation indicate that Kentucky’s death rate from cancer in 2006 was 211.2 per 100,000 people, barely edging ahead of the state’s number one killer—heart disease—which claimed 235.5 lives per 100,000 people that year.
Yes, cancer can kill. That is why prevention and adequate care for those with cancer is so important to our state.
Kentucky lawmakers have always supported anti-cancer legislation, from bills that improve access to cancer screenings to improved benefits for those with the disease. Now state lawmakers are coming together again to fight this tough illness by spreading the word about patient support programs coordinated by the American Cancer Society (ACS) that are available to patients and their families throughout Kentucky.
The programs include a toll-free hotline to direct interested citizens to local services; ACS “Hope Lodges” that provide free housing for cancer patients receiving care in Lexington and Nashville; free medical, health and beauty aids for patients, and travel assistance provided by volunteers.
I have given more information about these programs below, along with details on other ACS programs that patients and their families need to know.
-- Toll-free hotline. For 24-hour, 365-day-a-year information about cancer, please call the American Cancer Society’s National Cancer Information Center toll-free at 1-800-227-2345. Trained cancer information specialists will be on hand to answer questions about cancer, local resources, and more. This information is also available at www.cancer.org .
-- ACS Hope Lodges. Hope Lodges are temporary homes for patients who might need to spend weeks or months away from home in Lexington or Nashville for treatment. The housing is free, allowing patients to focus on fighting their disease and avoid the worry of lodging expenses.
-- Free medical, health and beauty aids. Patients can receive gift items to help with their diagnosis, including wigs, turbans, breast prostheses, prosthetic bras and limited durable medical equipment, among other items. Transportation needs can also be met in some areas by ACS volunteers who drive patients to and from their cancer treatments through the organization’s Road to Recovery program.
-- Children’s Camps. ACS provides camps for child cancer patients in Northern Kentucky and in Nashville. The camps are equipped to handle the special needs of patients in a fun, summer camp atmosphere.
-- I Can Cope. This program helps patients and their loved ones after a diagnosis has been made by offering a series of sessions on pain management, nutrition, money concerns and more. Sessions may be offered in a classroom. They are also found online at www.cancer.org/on-lineclasses.
-- Support and self-help groups. Patients and their families find these groups helpful when trying to deal with the physical and emotional challenges of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
A complete list of programs in the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area can be found on the ACS website at cancer.org.
To learn more about any of the services or about ways you can support ACS programs in our area, contact the local ACS office at 606-324-1819 or the Lexington-area office at 859-229-8880.
Have a great week.
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