A new $10,000 grant will benefit financially distressed cancer patients receiving care at Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC) and Waldo County General Hospital (WCGH) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This generous grant from the Maine Cancer Foundation will allow up to $250 in immediate assistance for residents of Knox and Waldo counties who are in treatment for cancer and have urgent housing, food and transportation needs.

Connie Thyng, RN, OCN, regional director of oncology and infusion services and director of PBMC’s anticoagulation unit, cited transportation as a prime example of an area where the grant will help patients.

“Patients coming in for cancer treatments are typically medicated and so can’t drive home,” Thyng said. “Before COVID-19, patients typically brought someone with them to be their eyes and ears and to give them a ride home. But to ensure that our facilities are safe for patients and care team members, we no longer allow visitors to accompany patients except in unique circumstances. That often means the patient must take a taxi home. This grant will help to pay the costs of the taxi for those who can’t afford it.”

Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospitals, applied for the grant earlier this year in part to supplement the patient assistance funds at both hospitals. Over the past year, the two hospitals combined have provided more than $52,000 to help economically distressed cancer patients pay out-of-pocket medical and living expenses not covered by other sources.

“We do this to eliminate as many barriers to cancer care as possible,” Thyng said. “We realize that to achieve our vision of being the healthiest community in America, we have to increase access to care for everyone.”

The Maine Cancer Foundation supports a tobacco cessation program for high-risk patients at WCGH; an initiative to increase colorectal cancer screening at PBMC; and an oncology patient navigator program at PBMC.

“We especially want to thank the Maine Cancer Foundation for this grant,” said Joanne Billington, chair of the Coastal Healthcare Alliance Development Committee that oversees the Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation. “It’s generous gifts like these that allow our hospitals to deliver the highest quality of health care to our communities.”

With charitable donations from generous individuals, businesses and foundations, the Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation provides critical funding to keep quality care close to home. Serving 80,000 people in the Midcoast region of Knox and Waldo counties, the Foundation supports priorities at PBMC, WCGH, Quarry Hill, Waldo County Dental Care, Knox Center, Belfast Public Nursing Association and the Sussman House. To learn more about the Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation or to make a donation, call 301-6713 or go to www.penbaywaldofoundation.org. Donations are tax deductible.

About Pen Bay Medical Center
Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of eight local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit pbmc.org.

Waldo County General Hospital
Waldo County General Hospital is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of eight local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit wcgh.org.