AOSW Connections
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor
Katherine Easton, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
AOSW Communications Director
Brittany Hahn, LCSW
Managing Editor
Patricia Sullivan
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To submit a story or information for inclusion in a future issue of AOSW Newsletter, contact Amy Colver or Katherine Easton on the list above.
2025 Themes
February: Workplace & Culture
May: Therapeutic Techniques
August: Palliative Care
November: Caregivers
Financial Toxicity Resources
By Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
and
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LCSW
In an effort to help our colleagues in working through financial concerns with patients and their loved ones, we created a partial list of financial assistance resources. You’ll find information on financial assistance options for daily living expenses, transportation costs, and co-payments for cancer treatment as well as medications. We also included college scholarship opportunities. Additionally, we offered a few online tools to help with locating financial resources. Although this is not a comprehensive list, we hope this information is helpful in the meaningful and important work that you do every day!
* Please note the listed resources are provided by national organizations, they are not location specific, but may be specific to certain cancer diagnoses. If you have suggestions to add to this list, please email Amy Colver at amy.colver04@gmail.com and Melody Griffith at Griffith.Melody@mayo.edu.
About the Authors
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor-in-ChiefSusan G. Komen
Cleveland, Ohio
amy.colver04@gmail.com
Amy Colver is a Senior Education and Online Content Specialist in Health Information and Publications at Susan G. Komen. She received her master of science in social administration (MSSA) and her Master of Arts in Bioethics (MA) from Case Western...
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Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor-in-ChiefSusan G. Komen
Cleveland, Ohio
amy.colver04@gmail.com
Amy Colver is a Senior Education and Online Content Specialist in Health Information and Publications at Susan G. Komen. She received her master of science in social administration (MSSA) and her Master of Arts in Bioethics (MA) from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Amy has several years of clinical experience in the field of oncology social work. She has worked primarily in outpatient cancer centers. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Amy is a member of the Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW), serving on the Communications Committee. She has been the editor of the AOSW Newsletter since the summer of 2021 and now serves as Editor in Chief. She has volunteered with several organizations including The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Cleveland Hope Lodge, The Gathering Place, and The Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU. She has served on various committees within her places of employment and has been involved in psychosocial research. Her career is a testament to her passion of providing psychosocial care to patients and their support systems facing cancer.
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Financial Toxicity Resources
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Resources: A Place to Gather for Individuals Touched by Cancer
Social Determinants of Health and Cancer Care
Welcome to AOSW Connections
Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
Outpatient Oncology Social Worker, Instructor in Social Work, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and ScienceMayo Clinic
Phoenix, Arizona
griffith.melody@mayo.edu
Melody Griffith received a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University in 2010. She completed an internship at a hospital where she was assigned to the oncology floor and later hired as a social worker. She fell in love with o...
Read Full Author Bio
Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
Outpatient Oncology Social Worker, Instructor in Social Work, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and ScienceMayo Clinic
Phoenix, Arizona
griffith.melody@mayo.edu
Melody Griffith received a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University in 2010. She completed an internship at a hospital where she was assigned to the oncology floor and later hired as a social worker. She fell in love with oncology and moved to the outpatient setting to establish longer-term relationships with patients through cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Melody began her employment at Mayo Clinic in 2016. She created and facilitated several support groups including Multiple Myeloma, Caregiver, and AYA groups, has been instrumental in process and program development, education of staff, and continues to further the work of psycho-oncology care. She has a special place in her heart for young adult patients and continues to learn and grow from her interactions with them.
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Financial Toxicity Resources
Resources: How Social Workers Can Meet the Unique Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer