The Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services program has been given additional funding from the provincial government.
Carolyn Knox, Senior Director of Access to Care with the Canadian Cancer Society, says it started in 2023 and has grown since then.
“We have worked very hard to build this program up as quickly as possible. So it now entails our travel grant program which is the travel treatment fund, our wheels of hope program which is volunteer drivers, and our lodges program which provides accommodations for BC residents and their caregivers near the four major cancer centers in BC, so Prince George, Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna.”
Knox says it pays for a variety of things for patients.
“We have a fund that gives people money for gas and essentials to drive to the cancer centre, we put them in our lodges or a hotel at no charge to the patient, and we provide meals while there there getting treatment.”
There is one part of the program that is not available in Quesnel, something that Know hopes will change.
“The other piece that I would like to hone in on for Quesnel, because we don’t have it in Quesnel and we could, is our wheels of hope program which is a volunteer program. In some locations people use their own vehicles and in some locations we buy vans and then we have drivers volunteer to drive them, and we could set that program up in Quesnel to drive people up to Prince George.”
Knox says they also feed patients providing three meals a day as well as snacks.
She says they have helped more than 3,000 people in BC since these programs started, including many in Quesnel, Williams Lake, and 100 Mile House.
“Our travel treatment fund has provided funding to 3,117 clients. We have done over 26,000 nights of accommodation, and additionally where we have had wait lists for our lodges we have also provided hotel support for people for another 650 nights. And out drivers have done over 7,000 one-way drives in BC.”
Knox says people can access the program a couple of ways.
“It’s pretty simple. Go to cancer.ca or just call our 1-800 number, 1-888-939-3333 and someone on the phone will connect you with all of the services that we can.”
Knox says they have other services available online as well.
“We have a cancer information help line, we have a community service locator to help you find supports within your own community that you may not know about, we also have a cancer connection which connects patients and families with peers, with people who have gone through cancer and really can provide them with a community of support there.”
Knox says they are here for patients, they are here for families, and they are here for caregivers, to support them in any way they can.
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