Hundreds of SECU Family House guests have received good news recently, thanks to generous grants from the American Cancer Society that help cover the costs of transportation and lodging for cancer patients.

At the end of 2021, the American Cancer Society (ACS) awarded nearly $3.9 million in funding to 77 health systems across the country to alleviate the financial burden of lodging costs for cancer patients; specifically targeting communities without Hope Lodges, the ACS funded adult hospitality houses. “We know that having to travel far from home to receive treatment can cause a large financial burden for cancer patients and their caregivers,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, the American Cancer Society’s Chief Executive Officer. “The American Cancer Society is committed to removing barriers that prevent cancer patients from getting the care they need.”

Some of this funding has made its way to the Winston-Salem medical community!

A groundbreaking partnership began in Winston-Salem between ACS, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, and the Family House to remove some of these barriers. Both major medical centers received transportation and lodging grants from the American Cancer Society to support underserved cancer patients by covering or subsidizing their stays at the Family House.

In 2022, the American Cancer Society lodging grants paid for 1,860 room nights of cancer patients at the Family House. This saved 176 guests more than $65,575 in lodging. Without the assistance of the Family House and the American Cancer Society grants, many patients would not have been able to complete their life-saving chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

The American Cancer Society renewed their lodging grants for 2023, helping to ensure that more cancer patients will have access to the care they need and deserve.