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HOPE LODGE PHILADELPHIA
INTRODUCTION
Imagine you or a member of your family has just been diagnosed with lifethreatening cancer. The good news is that a treatment center in your area or in
another part of the country has a protocol that could save your loved one’s life.
The bad news is that an extended stay for treatment away from home, family and
friends may be required. What would you do?
The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Program has been helping cancer
patients and their families throughout the country who are facing this situation. A
Hope Lodge is a residential facility providing sleeping rooms and related facilities
free of charge for cancer patients undergoing treatment and their caregivers.
The Southeast Region, Pennsylvania Division of the American Cancer Society
opened a Hope Lodge adjacent to Fox Chase Cancer Center. It will benefit
thousands of cancer patients coming to Philadelphia for life-saving care. To make
these plans a reality, the American Cancer Society launched a $10 million capital
campaign to build the first Hope Lodge Philadelphia and to endow its annual
operations, separate from the normal fundraising that the region does via Relay.
Obstacles to Obtaining Optimal Care
Financial concerns are a common obstacle to effective treatment. Patients often
must spend weeks – sometimes even months –to obtain the specialized treatment
they require. Besides the loss of income, most insurance does not cover
transportation or lodging costs associated with treatment. In Philadelphia, the cost
of hotel lodging alone averages $150 a day.
Cancer affects the entire family. Family members and caregivers experience
emotional, financial and sometimes even physical stresses along with the patient.
When treatment takes place far from home and over extended periods of time, the
hardship for the family becomes even greater. Patients and their families need an
emotional support system to deal with these stresses. Diminishing the suffering of
cancer patients and their families is an important goal for the American Cancer
Society and its supporters.
The Hope Lodge Philadelphia Project
Strong programs locally:
Fox Chase Cancer Center
the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
What that means:
thousands of people come from outside the metropolitan area for
treatment in Philadelphia each year
Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Abramson Center of the
University of Pennsylvania Health System alone see 150,000
patients
Fox Chase estimates that 13,800 annual visits require travel of 30
miles or more; 30% of the Abramson Center's patients do the same.
Fox Chase operates a hospitality service desk that facilitates more
than 600 overnight stays a month
The length of outpatient treatment (current trend) that brings people
here varies, but radiation and chemotherapy treatments generally
take place several times a week and can continue for a period of six
to eight weeks
o At the average rate of a Philadelphia hotel room, housing alone
for this period of time can cost an out-of-town patient a minimum
of $3,000.
Hope Lodge Philadelphia
30,000-square-foot building
37 private guest rooms with two double beds, a private bath and a
furnished sitting area
The handsome Georgian building is designed to blend into the
residential area that surrounds it
Following the successful model of other Hope Lodges, patients have
access in common areas to an equipped kitchen with a private pantry and
refrigerator space for each patient; a dining room for sharing meals with other
patients and their families; laundry facilities; conference rooms; a library; an
exercise room; and lounge areas.
homelike setting, patients and families can rest between
appointments, openly discuss their situation with other guests and staff members,
and develop a network of support.
The generous common areas are designed to encourage interaction
among residents who are going through the same difficult experiences.
cultivates bonds that can help them through treatment and that lead
to lasting friendships
provides patients with transportation to the many treatment facilities
throughout the area
A stay in the Lodge is free, and although patients are expected to
purchase food and prepare their own meals
Hope Lodge will make 13,505 free housing nights per year available
to cancer patients and their caregivers.
staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a full-time manager,
a part-time manager, maintenance and housekeeping personnel.
Operating costs, including staff, utilities and supplies, are estimated
to be $300,000 a year.
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opened June 1, 2009
have had patients stay as far away as Arizona, Michigan and
Massachusetts
top 3 patient service requests are requesting information, financial
assistance and lodging – three things Hope Lodge can help with
requests
versus this time last year, there are 33% more patient service