Medical Travel Assistance

At times, it may become necessary or beneficial for you to travel away from home for a consultation or treatment. This could be by personal choice or medical necessity. It may be very hard for you to be away from home and loved ones, at this time. But sometimes, it is the best thing that you can do for yourself. Hopefully, a family member will be able to travel with you. There are things that you can do to make travel a little easier for you and your family.

» Ask on the Forums, found on the Support section of this website. You may be able to contact someone in the area that you are traveling to for support when you get there. I had a stranger, who I had only talked to online in a support group, sit with me in a hospital room for two days during critical surgery and recovery (thank you Shari).

» If you are in the US, contact the American Cancer Society and ask them to contact the ACS organization in the area where you are traveling to see what support is offered.

» Go to the Cancer Care Org. website and search through their database for assistance.

» Contact the social worker at the hospital or cancer treatment center where you will be receiving treatment. They may be able to help with your needs.

» Contact any religious or fraternal organizations that you may be affiliated with to see if they can find some assistance for you.

Hopefully, the above list and the following links will help you find assistance in your travel needs.

Flight Assistance

Please call ahead to try to arrange a flight. The sooner you call, the better your chances are of being accommodated by these organizations:

Air Care Alliance - a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations whose volunteer pilots are dedicated to community service.

Angel Flight America - coordinates free air transportation for people in need in America.

Angel Flight Europe - a charitable organization which arranges free long distance transportation for needy patients in non-emergency medical situations.

Angel Flight - a non-profit charitable air medical transportation organization serving needy people and their families.

Angel Flight Samaritans - mission is to ensure that no financially needy cancer patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation.

Angel Flight South Central - dedicated to the free non-emergency air transportation of medical patients, family members, blood and organs for those who cannot access conventional transportation.

Angel Flight South East - removing transportation as an obstacle to receiving medical and compassionate care.

Angel Flight Veterans - provides no-cost or greatly reduced rate, long-distance charitable medical transportation/travel for veterans and active duty military personnel and their families who need to travel to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment.

Angel Flight West - provides free transportation to medical treatment for people who cannot afford public transportation, or who cannot tolerate it for health reasons.

Children's Angel Flight - to ensure that no needy child patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation.

Corporate Angel Network - arranges free travel on corporate jets for cancer patients, bone marrow donors and bone marrow recipients.

Hospice Angel Flight - to ensure that no financially-needy senior citizen or hospice patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation.

Mercy Medical Airlift - Charitable air transportation in situations of compelling human need.

Miracle Flights for Kids - provides free access to health care for families who can not afford transportation to treatment centers.

Patient Travel - Our goal is to ensure that no financially-needy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of medical air transportation.

Volunteer Pilots Association - is a charitable non-profit organization providing air transportation to needy people who must travel to obtain medical treatment.

Ground Transportation

There is a myriad of free ground transportation offered in most cities for cancer patients through medical institutions, local transit authorities, social service agencies, religious organizations, and cancer organizations. You can search on the web for telephone numbers for these types of agencies in the area you will be going to. Also, the social worker at your treatment facility may be able to help you find phone numbers for any of these businesses or assist you with information. The only national organizations that I am aware of that offer help in finding transportation are listed here. If you know of any others, or of any in countries other than the US, please let me know.

American Cancer Society - local offices may have a volunteer network to help with transportation needs. You can search by US zip code on this page.

Cancer Care Org. - a wealth of assistance is offered. Use this page to access their database to search for transportation services in your area.

Lodging

Make sure that you call and arrange accommodations as far ahead as possible in case these facilities have limited space. Many lodges will request that the residents help with routine house cleaning and care, if at all possible:

American Cancer Society - some US communities have a 'Hope Lodge' sponsored by the ACS. You can search by zip code on this page. Or click on one of the state links below:

Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Wisconsin

Ronald McDonald House/British Columbia - Beautiful 3 story house has 14 bedrooms and a unique greenhouse-style children's playroom.

Fisher House - offers patient housing facilities for military forces, veterans, and their families receiving care at military medical centers.

National Assoc. of Hospitality Houses Inc.- serving facilities that provide lodging and other supportive services to patients and their families when confronted with medical emergencies.

Ronald McDonald House - provides a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

Ronald McDonald House/Australia - a "home away from home" for the families of seriously ill children being treated at nearby hospitals.

Ronald McDonald House/Clayton,Victoria - a special residential facility that serves as a home away from home for the parents and families of children being treated for serious illnesses.

Ronald McDonald House/London, Ontario - a short-term residential facility where families of seriously ill children can reside while their children receive medical treatment.

Ronald McDonald House/Canada - provides a "home-away-from-home" for families of seriously ill children receiving hospital treatment.

Ronald McDonald House/Saskatchewan - for families who come to Saskatoon to obtain medical care not available in their home communities.