Across Alberta, more patients are receiving cancer care closer to home, surrounded by the people and communities that support them.
Time is often the first thing cancer takes. For many Albertans outside major cities, that loss is compounded by long drives, time away from work and family, overnight stays and difficult choices about whether care is even possible.
Donor investments in rural and regional cancer centres across Alberta are helping give some of that time back. Expanded infrastructure, staffing and programming at the province’s four regional and 11 community cancer sites are reducing the physical, emotional and financial toll of travel, allowing more patients to remain connected to daily life while receiving treatment.
As the fundraising partner for all 17 cancer centres across the province, the Alberta Cancer Foundation is committed to transforming the lives of Albertans facing cancer and their families.
Donors are leading change that patients feel immediately. Additional systemic therapy chairs at community cancer centres in Camrose, Drumheller and Drayton Valley mean fewer people need to travel to Edmonton or Calgary for treatment. More support staff are strengthening oncology education and hands-on care in local communities. In Grande Prairie, a new Indigenous patient navigator role was created to ensure First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients and families receive culturally informed cancer care that reflects their needs, values and lived experiences.
“Whether through funding meaningful tools, championing education or fostering community partnerships, the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s collaboration elevates our care in ways both big and small,” Shelly Lawrence, director of Cancer Care Teams Community Oncology, says. “It enables us to deliver innovative clinical research and cutting-edge treatments closer to home.”
Care is closer and more time stays where it belongs — with family, work and daily life.
