Crossroads4Hope (CR4H), based in Bedminster, N.J., recently announced its membership in Together for Supportive Cancer Care, a national coalition that will work to expand early, equitable access to whole-person, supportive care for all people with cancer, regardless of where they receive care.
Supportive cancer care is a comprehensive, whole-person approach to care that ensures the needs of people with cancer and their caregivers are met at every step of their cancer journey — throughout diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.
Supportive cancer care is individually tailored to provide a person with physical, emotional, spiritual, community, decision-making, social and economic support. A growing body of evidence shows that supportive cancer care improves patient treatment outcomes and quality of life, while providing higher-value care and lowering long-term health care costs. However, the benefits of supportive care are not currently accessible to everyone with cancer and their caregivers.
“No one is prepared to face cancer. Which is why supportive care for people who are diagnosed, and their loved ones is fundamental to every cancer journey” said Amy Sutton, CEO, Crossroads4Hope, a network of cancer support.
“We are honored to be working with the Together for Supportive Cancer Care national coalition and its members on an effort that aligns closely with the vision and mission of our organization,” Sutton said. “For more than two decades we have been working to provide a network of support, information, resources and professionals that bridge gaps that so often occur between medical appointments and within the health care system itself. I cannot think of a more worthy endeavor than to be working together towards a future where no one ever faces cancer alone.”
Crossroads4Hope and the coalition members will be working collaboratively across three focus areas of policy, research and employer support:
- Policy workstream to advocate for state and federal policies that expand access to supportive cancer care.
- Research workstream to promote new and existing research to demonstrate the positive impact of supportive care on outcomes, quality of life and health care costs
- Employer workstream to engaging employers as advocates for expanding equitable access to supportive cancer care.
“Each day, countless individuals, families and loved ones across the United States are affected by cancer, and they deserve access to whole-person care, regardless of who they are or where they live,” said Audrey Haberman, CEO of the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation. “We thank Crossroads4Hope for extending its invaluable expertise and experience to our collective effort to make supportive cancer care the national standard. Together, we can effect meaningful change, ensuring that people with cancer receive timely, comprehensive and equitable supportive care.”
To become involved in Together for Supportive Cancer Care or to learn more about its efforts, visit supportivecancercare.org.
To learn more at crossroads4hope.org, call 908-658-5400, email [email protected] or enroll directly in MyGo2Support https://crossroads4hope.org/mygo2support.