Need Help Getting to Appointments? 14 Transportation and Lodging Programs for Patients
Living with a serious illness often means a lot of appointments—and getting to and from them isn’t always easy. Whether it’s because of unreliable transportation, cost, distance, feeling too tired after treatment, needing to rely on others, or something else, transportation can sometimes get in the way of receiving care. This is a common issue for patients and families.
To help ease this burden, there are programs dedicated to helping people with travel and lodging needs. Start with your Cuidados paliativos team (or, if you don’t have one yet, a social worker or patient navigator), who may be able to point you to local resources through the hospital or community. They could, for example, book you a ride through a service such as Uber Health. You won’t know if you don’t ask!
If this isn’t available to you, the national organizations below can help. Keep in mind that many require a doctor’s referral, advance planning, or financial disclosure to determine financial need (when applicable).
These Programs Help Make Transportation and Lodging Easier for People with Serious Illness
We’ve rounded up fourteen programs below, which welcome people facing many different types of serious illness, and their loved ones.
Ground Transportation
- American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program provides people with cancer free rides to and from appointments by trained volunteer drivers. Call 1-800-227-2345 for local availability.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit Services offers transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use standard public transit, costing no more than double the regular fare. Caregivers, family members, or a friend can often ride along; contact your city’s transportation department to learn more.
- Mercy Medical Angels helps patients who are traveling 50+ miles for treatment with gas cards, bus tickets, or train tickets. They also have a dedicated program, Angel Wings for Veterans, for veterans traveling to appointments.
- Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) offers most Medicaid enrollees free rides to appointments as a required benefit in nearly every state. Call the member services phone number on your Medicaid card to get started.
- Localizador de atención para personas mayores connects older adults and their caregivers to local transportation services and other support. Call 1-800-677-1116 or search their online directory.
- DAV Transportation Network provides veterans free rides to VA medical appointments through a nationwide network of volunteer drivers, though coverage varies by community.
Air Travel Assistance
- Air Care Alliance connects patients in need of distant medical care to a volunteer pilot group in their region, offering free flights throughout the country.
- Mercy Medical Angels also offers free flights for patients traveling over 200 miles for care, through volunteer pilots serving 11 Mid-Atlantic states and DC, or commercial flights nationwide when a private pilot isn’t available.
- Miracle Flights offers free flights for children 17 and under (plus up to two parents or legal guardians) who are traveling for specialized medical care.
- Corporate Angel Network provides people living with cancer, as well as bone marrow and stem cell donors and recipients, free flights to treatment using empty seats on corporate jets.
Travel / Lodging Accommodations
- American Cancer Society (ACS) Hope Lodge provides people living with cancer, and a caregiver, a free place to stay close to where they are being treated (at over 30 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico). ACS also offers the Extended Stay America program, which offers discounted and free hotel rooms (1-800-227-2345).
- Joe’s House is a free, searchable directory of thousands of discounted and free lodging options near hospitals and treatment centers nationwide. It was built for people with cancer but is open to people with other diagnoses.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities supports families of children living with serious illness by providing free or low-cost lodging close to the hospital, plus in-hospital Family Rooms for resting between appointments.
- Healthcare Hospitality Network connects patients and caregivers to more than 150 hospitality houses around the country, which are home-like places to stay near treatment offering private rooms and shared spaces, often free or low-cost.
Talk to Your Care Team
Remember, it’s important to talk to your care team if you are struggling with transportation. They may have access to hospital or community resources, and it’s important they know transportation may get in the way of getting to appointments or treatment.
¿Qué son los cuidados paliativos?
Cuidados paliativos is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other specialists who work together with your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided alongside curative treatments.
Para obtener más información sobre los cuidados paliativos y cómo pueden ayudar, explore másObtengaCuidadosPaliativos.orgEncontrará recursos útiles, incluido un Test rápido to see if palliative care might be right for you or your loved one. Plus, you can learn how to ask your doctor for a referral.
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