2010: Year in Review

2010 was quite a year for Hope Cancer Resources. In a social service and health-oriented agency exceeding goals can be both good and bad. While we consider ourselves fortunate to be able to serve as many cancer patients and families as we did last year - it is what we're here for afterall - the downside is that our higher numbers mean there are more people in our community who are challenged by a diagnosis of cancer and need our help. We look forward to the day when our services are no longer necessary, but until that happens we will continue to meet the needs of community.


So, what exactly are we doing in Northwest Arkansas? We'll let our 2010 year-end numbers speak for themselves:

2,131 trips were made by our drivers to deliver patients in need of transportation to medical appointments associated with their cancer diagnosis. That is a total of 123,498 miles driven!

538 hours of interpretation services were provided. This is a vital service for our Spanish-speaking neighbors. Cancer is bad enough without the additional challenge of not understanding what is wrong or what to expect.

1,898 patients were provided with emotional support in the form of face-to-face visits and phone calls. We strive to meet with every new patient at Highlands Oncology Group, and provide follow-up as requested to make sure that patients' needs are met by us or other resources in our community.

572 patients were provided with $183,314 in direct financial and prescription assistance to help alleviate the devastating strain on family budgets that a cancer diagnosis can create.

$32,025 was given out in the form of gasoline cards to help patients who are required to make frequent and/or long-distance trips to the clinic for their treatments. Gas cards are also given to patients who need to travel out of Northwest Arkansas to receive treatment.

$687,690 in total support value was given to patients in Northwest Arkansas in 2010. This includes the value of interpretation, transportation and psychosocial services provided by our staff. Our services are all provided completely free-of charge to patients, so they have the benefit of working with our professional staff without the worry of how to pay for the support they need.

In addition to helping people who need support as they fight cancer, we are also increasing the number of people in Northwest Arkansas who receive prevention information and education. Our programs are being shared with students in primary and secondary schools as well as college campuses, we are distributing information at health fairs and employee health seminars, and we are in the community at local cancer fundraising events. We truly are providing compassionate, professional cancer support and education in the Northwest Arkansas region!

It has been a pleasure serving our neighbors in 2010, and we look forward to the year ahead.