Cancer can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. Disparities in health care should not define a patient’s chance of survival, but they do. Social determinants of health, such as employment, education, transportation, housing, access to healthy food and poverty, are often a more reliable prediction of successful cancer outcomes than clinical care.
Cancer is a negative force multiplier for individuals who already struggle to maintain a basic standard of living. Medical research shows that people are two times more likely to die of cancer if they have financial distress.
New Day is committed to removing these barriers to treatment by helping families pay the rent, covering their utility bills or car payments and providing fresh food. We will continue to advocate for vulnerable populations in the cancer community. It is our goal to reduce financial and emotional distress in order to level the playing field for all Michigan families facing a cancer diagnosis.
According to the United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Project, 38% of Michiganders struggle to meet a modest increase in household expenses, or a drop in income. This, coupled with an out-of-pocket cost ranging up to $2600 per month for cancer treatment, can lead to undue stress and anxiety, crippling debt, and bankruptcy. Even more startling, research also shows that the mortality rate for cancer patients doubles for those facing financial hardship.
It is New Day’s goal to assist residents in all 83 counties of the state, including areas where the largest concentration of individuals in the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) category reside, by 2027.