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

Contribute Today!

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

August 31, 2023
General

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!

Financial Assistance – Organization or Foundation Website
Allyson Whitney Foundation (Various Cancers, Young Adults) Life Interrupted Grants (allysonwhitney.org)
CancerCare (Various Cancers) Financial and Co-pay Asssitance (cancercare.org)
Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Colon Cancer) Financial Assistance Programs (ccalliance.org)
Family Reach (Various Cancers) Financial Assistance (familyreach.org)
Lazarex Cancer Foundation (Various Cancers, Clinical Trials) Financial Assistance (lazarex.org)
Living Beyond Breast Cancer (Breast Cancer) Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund (lbbc.org)
Lymphoma Research Foundation (Lymphoma) Financial Assistance (lymphoma.org)
Mercy Medical Angels (Various Cancers) Transportation Assistance (mercymedical.org)
The Bone Marrow and Cancer Foundation (Bone Marrow Transplant and CAR-T Cell Therapy) Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients – Financial Help – Lifeline Fund (bonemarrow.org)
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Blood Cancers) Financial Support (lls.org)
The National Marrow Donor Program/Be the Match (Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant) Patient Financial Assistance Program (bethematchclinical.org)
SAMFund (Various Cancers, Young Adults) Financial Assistance Grants and Family Building Grants (expectmiraclesfoundation.org)
Susan G. Komen (Breast Cancer) Komen Financial Assistance Program (komen.org)
The Pink Fund (Breast Cancer) Financial Assistance (pinkfund.org)
United Way (Various Cancers) 2-1-1 Program
Catholic Charities USA (Various Cancers) Assistance Programs
Salvation Army (Various Cancers) Assistance Programs
Medication Assistance Website
Needy Meds https://www.needymeds.org/
Healthwell Foundation https://www.healthwellfoundation.org/disease-funds/
Good Days https://www.mygooddays.org/patients/diseases-covered
National Organization for Rare Disorders https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/
Patient Access Network https://www.panfoundation.org/find-disease-fund/
Patient Advocate Foundation https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/copay-relief/
The Assistance Fund https://enroll.tafcares.org/
College Scholarships Website
Cancer for College https://cancerforcollege.org
College Scholarships.org http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/cancer-students.htm
National Collegiate Cancer Foundation https://collegiatecancer.org/
 
The Patient Advocate Foundation https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/apply-for-a-scholarship/
The Simon Cancer Foundation http://www.thescf.org/Scholarships.html
Online Tools to Find Financial Assistance  Website
Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition
(CFAC)
Resources for People with Cancer | Helping Hand | CancerCare (cancerfac.org)
Cancer.net Financial Resources (cancer.net)

‎* 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-Chief
Susan 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...
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor-in-Chief
Susan 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. 

Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
Outpatient Oncology Social Worker, Instructor in Social Work, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Mayo 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...
Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
Outpatient Oncology Social Worker, Instructor in Social Work, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Mayo 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.