Oncology Social Workers - healing and giving HOPE

Most of us would assume that the words "You have Cancer." delivered by a medical professional would make us afraid for our health. Physical limitations might follow, which would be fairly easy to predict. Fear of death is a given, and we would probably think of our family, and the burden that we might become on them while we are ill.

But even though you expect the physical and emotional results of the diagnosis, you may not know the stress that dealing with a diagnosis and the resulting treatment brings, can have a very real impact on the ability a patient has to heal, recover, and survive. In fact, patients who receive phycho-social support in the form of counseling and support group activities have a higher rate of survival than those who do not. For that reason, cancer centers all over the U.S. are starting to add a social work component to their treatment plans.

HOPE, Inc. employs three licensed social workers in order to provide assistance to cancer patients in northwest Arkansas. Starting with the initial visit a patient makes to Highland's Oncology Clinic in Fayetteville, a social worker is assigned to assess their needs for financial and emotional assistance, and to keep in touch with that patient to continue access to our services as they make the frightening and sometimes confusing journey through cancer treatment.

Even if a cancer patient is not being treated at the Fayetteville Highland's, they can still receive emotional and financial support from HOPE if they live in Washington, Benton, Carroll or Madison counties. For more information on our services please contact us at 479-571-4673 or visit our website at http://www.hopenwa.org/.

Summer Events for HOPE!

Get out your calendar! We have a great selection of events scheduled this summer to help HOPE get the word out about our programs and services, and to raise a little money to provide the support that is so desperately needed for local cancer patients in northwest Arkansas.

Check these out:

What: Homemade for HOPE
When: June 26, 2009 7am – 4:30pm
Where: Highland’s Oncology Group
3232 Northhills Drive, Fayetteville, 72703
Homemade baked goods for sale to benefit the patient assistance and clinical trials programs at HOPE, Inc. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel)
Need more information, or wish to donate? Call HOPE, Inc. at 479-571-4673


What: Happening for HOPE
When: July 23, 2009 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Where: Gullett’s Gourmet
326 N. West Avenue, Fayetteville, 72703
Live music, food specials, and great atmosphere – 10% of sales for the evening to benefit the patient assistance and clinical trials programs at HOPE, Inc. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel) Need more information? Call HOPE, Inc. at 479-571-4673


What: Hardbacks for HOPE (and Paperbacks too!)
When: July 24, 2009 7am – 4:30pm
Where: Highland’s Oncology Group
3232 Northhills Drive, Fayetteville, 72703
Pre-owned and gently used books for sale to benefit the patient assistance and clinical trials programs at HOPE, Inc. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel)
Need more information, or wish to donate? Call HOPE, Inc. at 479-571-4673


What: Rummage Sale for HOPE
When: August 7-8, 2009 8am – 4:30pm
Where: Highland’s Oncology Group
3232 Northhills Drive, Fayetteville, 72703
Tons of great items! Furniture, kitchen items, clothing, toys… all sales benefit the patient assistance and clinical trials programs at HOPE, Inc. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel) Need more information, or wish to donate? Call HOPE, Inc. at 479-571-4673


What: Happening for HOPE
When: August 27, 2009 6pm – 9pm
Where: Eddie Haskell’s
3300 Market Street, Suite 100, Rogers, AR 72758
Bring your friends and family out to enjoy a bite and a sip and help local cancer patients at the same time. 10% of sales will be donated to HOPE, Inc. for this Thursday night event at Eddie Haskell’s. Need more information? Call HOPE, Inc. at 479-571-4673.


As you can see, there is something planned for EVERYONE. We hope to see you there, and there, and there, and there... well, you get the idea.

Economic Impact (Part Two)

Raise your hand if you've heard the term "clinical trials". Okay, now keep your hand up if you aren't really sure what they are or what the purpose of them is. There are a lot of hands still in the air!

There is a lot of talk in journals and on websites that keep up with cancer research that mentions clinical trials. When a patient is starting to head down the road of treatment, it's one of the options that could be presented by their oncologist... but what does it mean to join a trial? Where are they located? And, most important for some patients - how much will it cost?

Clinical trials are available for virtually every type or stage of cancer diagnosis. To be accepted into a trial means that there is active research being conducted on your specific cancer type, stage of development, or treatment plan. Sometimes they are set up to test a new combination of medications, and other times they are more unique, like the one currently being conducted at UAMS where women's tears are being captured and tested for proteins that may point to the development of breast cancer.

Many patients see trials as a "last resort" option, only to be looked into when traditional treatments don't provide the desired recovery results. But more and more cancer clinics are putting together staff who can do the research and management that is necessary to develop and manage top-notch clinical trials program on a local level, providing access from the very beginning of a treatment plan.

At HOPE, Inc. we have a licensed RN on staff who manages twelve clinical trials for the patients referred to us by oncologists at Highland's Oncology Group in Fayetteville and Bentonville. Since these trials are managed and performed here in NW Arkansas, our patients are able to benefit from cutting-edge research and still sleep in their own beds at night.

Not having to travel to a distant medical facility like MD Anderson in Houston or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is not only emotionally beneficial for our patients, but it takes a potentially HUGE burden off of their budget. Recently, we calculated the estimated cost of participating in a clinical trial at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas and came up with the following:

Mileage Expenses: $.585 (IRS rate) x 400 miles = $234 x min. of 25 trips = $5,850

Lodging/Meals for a three day stay: $136 (IRS Per Diem Rate) x 75 (3 days per trip) = $10,200

3 days lost wages (24 total hours) = 431.76 x 25 trips = $10,794
(based on average household median income for Arkansas: $37,420 = $17.99 per hour)

Total Annual Expense Per Patient: $26,844

Remember, this is only calculating the costs for a trial conducted three hours away, and doesn't even include the cost to a caregiver for their time off work, food, and lodging on the trip. Then there are the regular medications and treatments and doctors' visits required to maintain the standard of care...

Now you can see what one of our patients meant when she recently told us that her first thought upon receiving her diagnosis of colon cancer was "I can't afford to have cancer."

Help us provide hope for people in Northwest Arkansas living with cancer.
Donate today.

Economic Impact (Part One)

There was an article published in the Northwest Arkansas Times in January of this year that explored the impact of local non-profit organizations on our community's financial outlook. The article focused primarily on how the highlighted agencies contribute to the area's financial stability through payment of salaries and bringing ancillary monies to the community.

HOPE, Inc. doesn't employ dozens of people, nor does it host programs that will attract hundreds of spectators who will feed their families at local restaurants, but as an organization that provides direct financial assistance, we can state without a doubt that our fiscal viability is vital to our community especially in the midst of our country's current economic downturn. Just as we are working harder to secure donations at levels equal to those of past years, the cancer patients we serve need us more than ever before.

Last year we created a report that outlined the amount of value our assistance programs offer to our community, and the numbers were impressive. We found that for fiscal year 2007-2008, the monthly financial impact our programs had on cancer patients living or being treated in northwest Arkansas was $39,720.00.

The total financial impact for the entire fiscal year was $476,640.00.

That is money spent to keep people in their homes, make sure they are able to get to their radiation appointments to maintain the treatment plan set up by their physician, and to help them focus on healing and recovery rather than whether or not they can afford to buy their chemotherapy prescription AND put food on the table for their family.

Travel expenses for those needing treatment out of town are also provided on a case-by-case basis. Notes from patients like this are what it's all about for us:

I want to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude for your organization's financial assistance for our son. Your donation of $600 helped us afford to live in an apartment near CARTI in Little Rock. The apartment has been a infinite blessing in the midst of such a painful time for our son. The radiation and chemo treatments that he receives each weekday are very hard on his body. It is comforting to come "home" to our apartment each day and relax in a quiet and peaceful setting. May God richly bless your individual and corporate lives.

You can make a difference in the life of a local cancer patient. Find out more about HOPE, Inc. and donate online at www.hopenwa.org. We are all affected, and we can all share HOPE.

Next time: The cost benefit of providing LOCAL clinical trials to cancer patients.

Cancer Support Groups

Cancer patients and their caregivers can feel isolated and helpless when it comes to finding people to talk to who understand what they're going through. Neighbors and friends tell them they are there if they need them, but many times the patient or their loved ones just don't want to "burden" their friends with their frustrations and fears.


If you are nodding your head right now in agreement, you may be interested to know about the following support groups that HOPE facilitates for cancer patients in NW Arkansas:


Coping and Conversation is held every Wednesday at noon at the Cancer Support Home in Fayetteville and is a partnership between the Cancer Support Home and HOPE, Inc. It's for patients and caregivers dealing with any cancer diagnosis. Call for more information: (479) 521-8024

Lung Cancer Support Group is held the third Thursday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the Highlands Oncology Group offices in Fayetteville. This group is a partnership between Highlands Oncology and HOPE, Inc. For more information: (479) 571-4673

Young Adults Cancer Support Group (YACS) is held the first Thursday of each month at the Cancer Support Home in Bentonville and is a partnership between the Cancer Support Home and HOPE, Inc. For more information: (479) 271-2257

Children's Lives Include Moments of Bravery (CLIMB) is a group for children who have a parent, grandparent or loved one with cancer. It meets once a week for six weeks and these six week sessions are scheduled twice a year. This group is coordinated as a partnership between NARTI, the Cancer Support Home and HOPE, Inc. For information on when the next session will open for registration, call (479) 571-4673.