CVS Health presents $50K Community Grant to Family Reach
BOSTON — CVS Health presented a $50,000 Community Grant to Family Reach, which will fund the Family Relief Direct Assistance Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to provide financial support and education to families who have a child or young adult in active cancer treatment and experiencing financial hardship.
“As a pharmacy innovation company, we are committed to helping people on their path to better health. We are proud to support organizations that increase access to quality health care because we know their efforts are critical to delivering better community health,” said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We are pleased to support the work that Family Reach does in the community and we look forward to working with them to fulfill their program’s mission.”
According to Family Reach, which has helped families pay the everyday bills — rent, groceries, gas and more — that quickly become overwhelming in the face of treatment — cancer patients are 2.65 times more likely to go bankrupt than people without cancer. In addition, 46% of cancer patients cut back on basic necessities like food and clothing to pay for cancer care, with some skipping medication to save money.
“We see families lose everything because they miss work or lose their jobs altogether. They incur travel costs to and from the hospital and have countless expenses added to their daily budget. Families report having to choose putting gas in the car to access treatment over buying groceries or paying the utility bill,” said Carla Tardif, CEO of Family Reach. “We are honored to partner with CVS Health to bring support to the millions of families who are struggling financially simply because they are trying to care for themselves or a sick child.”
Since its launch in 2003, Family Reach has raised more than $16 million in support of more than 10,000 families across the United States. This fall, the organization joined former VP Joe Biden at the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force release event, where they announced their new Financial Treatment Project.