HASTINGS residents who require treatment for cancer now have a helping hand to get to and from appointments if they need it.
Cancer Council NSW last week celebrated the delivery of a brand new vehicle which will be used to help cancer patients access treatment services at the Port Macquarie North Coast Cancer Institute (NCCI), thanks to the Newcastle Permanent’s Charitable Foundation.
The Subaru Forrester is one of two purchased with a $68,000 grant from the foundation (the other going to Coffs Harbour), to provide a flexible and responsive transport service for financially or socially disadvantaged cancer patients.
The Port Macquarie vehicle will be garaged at the Dahlsford Grove Lifestyle Village on the southern outskirts of Port Macquarie, where a team of village residents have volunteered to drive and look after it, ferrying people to and from cancer treatment appointments.
At the handover of the vehicle last week, Newcastle Permanent foundation chairman Michael Slater said the vehicles would create a safe, reliable and free transport service for patients and their families.
“The Cancer Council provides an important service for people in isolated parts of the Mid North Coast undergoing treatment for cancer, by ensuring they can access treatment services and supporting their well-being at a difficult time,” he said.
“Operated by Cancer Council NSW, the service is provided free of charge thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers and eases some of the emotional and financial burden on patients and carers.”
The Cancer Council’s northern NSW community engagement manager Brenna Smith said the service would integrate with other key cancer support services.
“With the Newcastle Permanent charitable foundation’s support, our staff are now able to work with oncology social workers and staff at NCCI to identify patients who may benefit from the service,” Ms Smith said.
She said in the past some people who had had transport issues had actually been forced to decline regular treatment.
“It’s really sad but because some people could not get to treatment, they made a choice not to have treatment,” she said.
“Hopefully we can overcome this by providing them with a vehicle to get them there.”
The charitable foundation distributes more than $1.5 million annually to not-for-profit organisations in the Hunter, New England, Central Coast, Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast.
The Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and to date, has donated more than $11 million for almost 280 projects in regional NSW including more than $1.5 million to projects on the Mid North Coast.
