Trinity Health Michigan Receives $10,000 Grant from The American Cancer Society to Provide Transportation for Cancer Patients Livonia, Michigan (MI), Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

CANTON, Mich. (June 9, 2022) – Trinity Health Michigan recently received a $10,000 grant from The American Cancer Society (ACS) to provide transportation solutions to cancer patients in need of support.  Lack of access to transportation is a significant community health need, one that is known to be a barrier to care for many patients living in the communities served by Trinity Health Michigan cancer centers.

“Transportation is a struggle for many of our patients and it’s a significant barrier for them to receiving their cancer care,” said Kathleen Beekman, MD, medical director of the Oncology Program at Trinity Health – Southeast Michigan and a Trinity Health IHA Medical Group oncologist.  “We are so grateful to the American Cancer Society for recognizing this need and for helping us better support our most vulnerable patients as they battle cancer.  We rely greatly on philanthropic support to help us give patients those things that may seem small but make a big difference.”

Many patients diagnosed with cancer need daily or weekly treatments, often over the course of several months.  Though family and friends may help, they may not always have the time or the resources to provide every ride.

“Some patients don’t have access to transportation or are too fatigued or sick to drive themselves,” said Dr. Kathy Goss, regional vice president of Cancer Control for the American Cancer Society.  “The Society collaborates with hospital partners to reach individuals in areas with high burdens of cancer and limited or no access to transportation because even the best treatment can’t work if a patient can’t get there. ACS patient support initiatives, such as transportation grants, fill critical gaps and are aligned with the ACS goal of improving lives for patients with cancer, caregivers, and the community.”

Today’s announcement is part of a much larger national effort for ACS.  The organization has awarded $5.7 million in transportation grants to more than 400 U.S. health systems to alleviate the financial burden of transportation for cancer patients.  Nationally, these grants are expected to provide more than 228,000 rides to treatment for nearly 17,000 people.

The American Cancer Society is working to increase access and remove barriers to timely, high-quality cancer care for patients and families. The transportation grant program provides funding directly to local health systems and partners who deliver assistance directly to their patients when and where it’s needed most.

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About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 548-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 497-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed Trinity Health St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 66-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed Chelsea Hospital. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,548 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers, employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. Trinity Health has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $115 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.