Patient Financial Assistant Program

Helping People with Cancer Focus on What Matters Most: Healing

The challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis often extend beyond the medical treatment itself—such as navigating a complex health-care system and balancing the demands of day to day living during treatments. These challenges can increase for people with restricted income opportunities, no employee health insurance, and who live in other urban or rural communities across the province. For some, the financial burden of cancer can mean choosing between treatment and simply being able to pay their bills.

The Alberta Cancer Foundation’s Patient Financial Assistance Program offers support to eligible patients who have financial needs, addressing some of the direct costs of care, such as travel and accommodations for appointments and medications not covered by insurance. Patients may also use a portion of their funds towards other indirect expenses, such as groceries or utility bills.

In 2021, the Patient Financial Assistance Program was accessed over 4,400 times by Albertans, with 50 per cent of those families or individuals residing in Calgary and Edmonton, and the other 50 per cent from communities across the province. As the number of new cancer cases increase, so will the need for financial assistance. Because this support program is funded solely by donations, your contributions play a pivotal role in improving the cancer journey for so many Albertans, allowing them to focus on what matters most: healing.