United Cancer Introduction
Mission: “United Cancer provides assistance to our cancer patients and their families in a way that enhances their quality of life. We strive to educate Elkhart County residents in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.”
Although United Cancer is frequently confused with large, national agencies, UC is not a branch office of a national organization but was founded here in Elkhart County in 1958. United Cancer Services of Elkhart County, Inc. is a not-for-profit agency and our federal tax id# is 35-1091429. While most other cancer agencies fund research, as a independent and local organization, United Cancer’s focus is to help Elkhart County area cancer patients pay for their treatment, supplies & medicine. Since the year 2000, United Cancer has distributed over $465,000 helping our neighbors back to good health, with all those funds coming from the support of local organizations, events and donations.
United Cancer Clients
In 2006, United Cancer had 258 cancer patients eligible for financial aid during treatment. Although we cannot tell you each of their stories, we would like to introduce you to just a few.
Virginia Hill
2006 saw her second cancer diagnosis of lymphoma in her bones.
Kim Ladson
Stomach cancer made life difficult for Kim & her husband Randy in 2006.
Payton Starzyk
20 months old and diagnosed with leukemia in 2005.
United Cancer’s Program
In 2006, United Cancer directed $108,014 to programming designed to help cancer patients and provide prevention screening. The largest portion of UC’s programming budget, $65,804, went to Direct Financial Aid, an approximately 16% increase over 2005. Direct Financial Aid is divided into two areas. Cancer patients in treatment received $59,504 in direct aid and $6,300 (a portion of the Middlebury Breast Cancer Walk) went to The Retreat to pay for mammograms for women who cannot afford them. The final portion of UC’s programming budget, $42,210, is dedicated to staff working with cancer patients in our Journey Through Treatment program. A part of the Journey Through Treatment program assesses and refers clients to other agencies and governmental organizations and is responsible for generating approximately $20,000 in additional aid for cancer patients.
In 2006, United Cancer had 258 cancer patients who where eligible for the Journey Through Treatment program, gave referral information to 500 people asking for information on cancer, and gave health and prevention information to more than 1000 community members.
As you can see from the chart below, the greatest need came in the category of Treatment costs. The second category was Medication, and third was Supplies, which are comprised of expensive nutritional supplements (which UC buys at wholesale prices), wigs, post surgical supplies, and ostomy needs. Mammograms are provided at the Retreat to women who need financial help. Transportation pays for the cost of trips to and from treatment and General Aid covers cost of living expenses (mortgage/rent, utilities, etc.).
Our research clearly shows that a cancer patient’s greatest need comes in the first year of their treatment. The first year creates this great need because cancer patients face high initial test & treatment expenses combined with the loss and/or reduction of income. Expense issues include a battery of initial tests; expensive treatments (surgery, chemo & radiation), and high out-of-pocket insurance deductibles. Most patients are not able to work during treatment and many employers no longer offer disability income benefits. Those employees that do have disability income often face delays of weeks or months before income begins and the cancer patient must continue to pay their portion of health insurance costs.
Journey Through Treatment
An important part of United Cancer’s service is the counseling and emotional support provided by our staff in our Journey Through Treatment program. This program is designed to help the cancer patient move from being a passive patient in the treatment process to an active participant.
The first step in the Journey Through Treatment program asks clients specific questions about the nature of their diagnosis and the corresponding options and length of their treatment program (i.e. surgery, chemo, radiation, hormone therapy, pharmaceuticals, possible complications, etc). The goal is to proactively generate a realistic cost estimate of their entire time in treatment.
The second step of Journey Through Treatment is to research the client’s health insurance coverage and limitations, and compare that coverage with their treatment program. This will help them to determine an estimate of their out of pocket treatment costs. Because of the emotional impact of their new cancer diagnosis, many clients have not yet researched these issues thoroughly and need to gather this important information.
Next, the Journey Through Treatment program explores the client’s revenue picture and options to supplement lost income. We then ask the client to consider their normal household expenses for their time in treatment. Finally, the goal of this research is for the client to apply all this accumulated information (treatment, insurance, income, living expenses) and create a rough budget for their time in treatment. This exercise helps the client proactively discover financial deficits for their time in treatment and highlights where United Cancer can apply strategic tools.
This first of United Cancer’s strategic tools is referral. Although UC is the only agency that helps with treatment expenses, based on what we learn about a client’s individual financial situation, we often direct clients to apply for benefits at their employer or their spouse’s employer, with various government agencies, or at other non-profit organizations. The second strategic tool is lifestyle changes. This can be difficult to suggest to a cancer patient, but in some cases, short term financial retrenchment while in treatment can lead to long term financial stability. Once those options have been exhausted, UC can apply our most important strategic tool, our direct financial aid.
Journey Through Treatment also provides vital Emotional Support and assists the patients in creating a Diary of Treatment. The Diary will help them track and find answers to medical and insurance issues in an organized manner. By keeping track of doctor visits, hospital stays, treatments, test, medications, and invoices, the patient can better understand where they are in the treatment process and make better use of medical and insurance providers.
The common perception that United Cancer is funding very low income people afflicted with cancer is not the case at all. Approximately 71% of UC’s clients this year had insurance in place that was not based on financial need (private, Medicare, or VA) when they were diagnosed. Those with economically base health insurance needs were only 29% of new clients. Patients with No Insurance or who were Medicaid Pending, had applied for Medicaid and had not yet been accepted or rejected, made up 22% of our clients. The percentage of clients registering with Medicaid already in place was 7%.
Cancer patients of all types and ages ask United Cancer for help. In 2006, half of the cancer patients who asked for help were 50 to 70 year old . However, cancer knows no age boundaries. UC has helped babies as young as two weeks old and seniors in their nineties. This year, our youngest client was two years old and our oldest was ninety-five.
United Cancer clients are eligible for funding if they live, work, or have worked in Elkhart County, and a doctor verifies that they are in cancer treatment. Patients living in Goshen increased from 18% to 24% this year, with only 7% of our clients lived outside Elkhart County. The chart below shows a good cross section of Elkhart County hometowns for 2006.
United Cancer’s goal is to help cancer patients reduce the financial and emotional stress during treatment, so they can concentrate on healing. UC works to keep in regular contact with our clients and according to their reports, we were very successful in our goal. We achieved our goal through the combination of helping our clients devise a plan for their time in treatment, educating them about key issues related to the medical and insurance industries, connecting them to the network of government and non-profit resources available, and, of course, distributing $59,504 in financial aid. Clients report that our information and referrals are extremely helpful. Not to be minimized in the United Cancer experience is the emotional support and caring that our staff provides our clients. Clients often report that our Journey Through Treatment program is just as valuable as the Direct Financial Aid that we provide.
2006 Success & 2007 Challenges
Our goals for improving financial viability in 2006 were many and very successful. 2006 was once again a strong financial year, even though we suffered the loss of a key foundation that had been giving us an average of $40,000 per year. This loss was offset by the dramatic increase of our signature event, the Compassion Walk, which increased from $21,000 to $45,000 this year! In the second year for the Breast Cancer Walk our revenue increased from $3,300 to $14,600, and two new events showed strong turnout and are already generating lots of excitement for 2007. 2006’s strength was supported by United Cancer’s steady donor base of over 3,100 donors, the continued success of our ongoing events, strong growth in major sponsorships, and steady support in grants.
2007 is shaping up to be a challenging year once again. With the loss of some key companies in the United Way campaign, United Cancer will face a 14.4%, or $11,300 reduction from United Way in 2007. We have already offset some of that loss with a major new donor’s gift of $5,000 and are planning to overcome the balance with new donor support, with increases in the two new events that we started in 2006, and with a new work committee designed to better utilize Live Wire, our band of volunteer musicians.
In summary, United Cancer has a forty-nine year history of serving cancer patients and their families in our communities and has distributed over $465,000 to area cancer patients since the year 2000. We have a strong agency with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of donors. We are actively working to increase our awareness and support and will continue to help cancer patients and women needing mammograms throughout the Elkhart County area.
As an independent, grass roots organization, United Cancer’s success is based on the support of the people of the Elkhart County area. If you are a supporter, I hope that you will continue to help. If you have not given in the past, I hope that you will consider a gift now. Each year, the number of cancer patients coming to ask for help continues to rise, and our ability to help relies on you.
Thank you for your interest and support!
Peter T. Norton
Executive Director