Spotlight on: Family Reach

Family Reach began its journey in 1996 after two families in New Jersey - the Morellos and the Colangelos - lost their children to cancer. As their kids were going through treatment, the parents met many other families in their situation, and were concerned by what they heard.

"[These families] were privy to this whole other side of cancer, outside of healthcare - and that was the financial crisis of cancer," says Carla Tardif , CEO of Family Reach.

Cancer treatment is expensive. The Morellos and the Colangelos witnessed the pain of moms and dads who were unable to miss work to stay by their child's side through treatment. "They saw firsthand the financial struggles that families were facing while having a child on cancer treatment, and they saw what it was doing to families," Tardif says.

The two couples joined forces to figure out a way to support other families going through cancer treatment. Together, they started what was initially called the Colangelo/Morello Cancer Fund (later changed to the Family Reach Foundation) and hosted fundraisers to distribute money to these families. In 2008, the foundation hired Tardiff to manage the organization as its new CEO, but Rick Morello is still actively involved as a member of their board.

"Family Reach was born in the health equity space 20 years ago, before they were saying health equity, before people were talking about social determinants of health, before this was even a known reality," says Tardif. "In other words, this problem has been around for a very long time."

Now, Family Reach has a presence in 1500 cancer care centers across the country, working with social workers and patients to provide families coping with cancer all the resources available to them.

Their Goal

The healthcare system is focused on getting you to the other side of cancer with incredible research and care teams, Tardif says, "[But our goal is] to make financial health a standard of care."

Tardif wants to see healthcare change from being patient-centric to people-centric. "Because patients are mothers, they're caretakers, sisters, daughters, husbands, and wives. They're people that have other titles, other jobs, and other roles they have to fulfill, not just cancer."

Family Reach also wants to spread the message to families with cancer going through financial difficulty that they did nothing wrong. "There is so much shame and fear in talking about finances, especially on top of a health crisis," says Tardif. But she wants to start conversations about money and cancer so people know they're not judged or alone.

"Understand that if you're experiencing any sort of financial distress, you're in the majority, you are not in the minority," Tardif says. "And there is help."

Services They Provide

Family Reach has two paths to financial assistance. "[We] have the 411 [path], and [we] have the 911," Tardif says.

The non-urgent path, or the "411" provides critically important information about financial health. They offer easy-to-understand educational materials on their website that can teach anyone how to address and maximize their finances in the midst of a cancer diagnosis.

They also help people with cancer and their families find resources available in their community through nonprofits, hospitals, and even medication manufacturers. Their resource navigators can give people one-on-one guidance and help them on the path to financial freedom in cancer.

In the past two years, Family Reach has placed patient navigators in seven cancer centers throughout Philadelphia, where they can connect with patients and social workers in person. The program has been a resounding success, and they hope to expand it soon.

For people who need emergency financial help , or the "911" option, Family Reach can offer assistance with housing, food, transportation, and utilities.

"I wish [we] had enough funds to help everybody that needs it," says Tardif, which is why they work so hard to connect people with resources. "If we can just catch you early and give you the safety net of these resources that exist, hopefully that avoids you needing a 911."

Events

While Family Reach doesn't have any community events coming up, they do a lot of fundraising for their emergency assistance program.

One such opportunity is their Key Holder program . As "key holders," donors can give as little or as much as they'd like to monthly. When participants sign up, they get a keychain. "And that keychain is to remind you that … anytime you use your key to get into your house, you are helping us keep a family in their home, [in their] car," says Tardif.

Family Reach also hosts or participates in fundraising events around the country, like the Boston Marathons and live cooking events with celebrity chefs like Guy Fieri.

Core Belief

"Everybody deserves a fair shot at getting to the other side of cancer," says Tardif, which represents Family Reach's core belief.

More patients come to Family Reach through their website looking for support than they do through the 1500 cancer care centers involved with the organization, says Tardif. Why? They're afraid to talk about their finances in a healthcare setting.

Family reach wants to make financial health a standard of cancer care. "We have a long way to go, " says Tardiff. "But at least I'm not the only one talking about this anymore."

Resources We Trust

• Mayo Clinic: Cancer Diagnosis: 11 Tips for Coping
• MD Anderson Cancer Center: Legal and Financial Impacts of Cancer
• American Cancer Society: Health Insurance Laws
• National Cancer Institute: Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information
• UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center: Organizations That Can Help

Abby McCoy, RN

Author

Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is a married mother of four and loves the circus - that is her home! She has family all over the world, and loves to travel as much as possible.

McCoy has written for publications like Remedy Health Media, Sleepopolis, and Expectful. She is passionate about health education and loves using her experience and knowledge in her writing.