Two-year grant from The Abra Prentice Foundation, Inc. funds the program launch for Black and Latinx children

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, April 14, 2021: As the childhood cancer industry continues to identify ways to reduce the survival disparities faced by Black and Latinx children, Chicago-based Compass to Care, The Mike & Sandy Ernsdorff Childhood Cancer Foundation is launching its CARE & BACK™ program to address a critical need to access cancer treatment for Black and Latinx children.  

For many of the most common forms of childhood cancer, survival is lower among Black and Latinx children, in comparison with non-Hispanic white children. Studies have linked much of this disparity to a family’s socio economic status (SES).  It is believed that initiatives to reduce social and economic barriers to access effective cancer care could have a great impact on the overall survival rates for these children. One industry-recommended initiative is the supplementation of travel costs during a child’s cancer treatment.

Transportation is a basic, but necessary, step for on-going health care, especially for those with chronic diseases like cancer.  According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), transportation challenges prevent a staggering 3.6 million Americans from receiving medical care each year.  Children with cancer are among these patients. For children whose families are facing poverty and/or cancer-related financial toxicity (CRFT), getting to treatment can be a real problem and these families need reliable access to Non Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT). 

Compass to Care has a well-established program to successfully meet the NEMT needs of children traveling from suburban and rural communities. Care & Back™ will help us meet the needs of urban-based children, many of whom are Black and Latinx.

“As a leading provider of travel support for children with cancer in the United States, Compass to Care saw an opportunity to address the travel needs of Black and Latinx children who reside in urban communities and who are not supported by our current travel program,” commented Compass to Care founder Michelle Ernsdorff-May. “Building on our entrepreneurial experience, expertise in funding NEMT, and the partnerships we have formed over the past decade, we hope to increase cancer survival rates for these children by making all travel to Care & Back™ free.”

With a two year-grant from The Abra Prentice Foundation, Inc., Compass to Care will be able to provide NEMT for Black and Latinx children via a custom-built application using the Kaizen Health platform.  Families living at or below 218% of the federal poverty level can request free rideshare rides, via the Kaizen Health web application, to consistently get their children to the medical center for cancer treatment and cancer-related medical appointments.

“We could not be more honored to partner with such a wonderful organization that is helping children in their fight against cancer,” commented Kaizen Health CEO, Mindi S. Knebel.  “My mother-in-law faced challenges with transportation during her battle with breast cancer, which was half of the inspiration for starting the Kaizen Health. It makes me happy knowing how proud she would be of this important work that we get to play a role in by partnering with Compass to Care,” Knebel added.

The Abra Prentice Foundation has been a key funder for Compass to Care over the past seven years.  Their funding of Care & Back™ has been instrumental in launching this program.  Additional funding will be necessary to deliver this support network to children across the United States and the organization is currently seeking funders. 

“Healthcare disparities exist, even for children with cancer.  The best cancer treatment in the world cannot cure a child if they have no way to get there. We are hoping other companies and funders see how these racial disparities are affecting the survival of Black and Latinx children with cancer and will support our program to give each of them a fighting chance,” added Ernsdorff-May.

TO DISCUSS THE CARE & BACK™ PROGRAM AND FUNDING OR PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE CONTACT: Michelle Ernsdorff-May, Compass to Care Founder (312) 515-9490 • Michelle@CompassToCare.org

About Compass to Care: Compass to Care, The Mike & Sandy Ernsdorff Childhood Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides a free Non Emergency Medical Travel (NEMT) solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and living in families facing financial distress. To learn more visit www.CompassToCare.org

Collaboration to educate, empower, and erase challenges of accessing cancer treatment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – April 7, 2021 – Compass to Care, The Mike & Sandy Ernsdorff Childhood Cancer Foundation announced today it has established a partnership with the University of Chicago Global Health Alliance to reduce the disparity children with cancer face in accessing cancer treatment.

Compass to Care, a Chicago-based charitable organization, provides a free Non Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and facing poverty or cancer-related financial toxicity.

Through this partnership, Compass to Care and the GHA see the opportunity to fulfill the mission of both organizations by:

• Raising awareness of the childhood cancer survival disparities faced by Black and Latinx children, children who live in poverty, or children whose families are facing cancer-related financial toxicity
• Collecting and analyzing internal data to successfully demonstrate the impact the Compass to Care mission makes for this marginalized population of children
• Fundraising to increase Compass to Care’s ability to provide free NEMT for children in need

Global Health Alliance at the University of Chicago (GHA) is one of many chapters of the nationwide organization that partners college students with grassroots non-governmental organizations to combat global health inequities and educate a new generation of leaders in social change. GHA promotes a model of long-term, sustained partnership working alongside health leaders with expert knowledge of their own communities.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to work alongside the University of Chicago Global Health Alliance,” commented Michelle Ernsdorff- May, founder of Compass to Care. “With recent data pointing to disparities in survival rates for Black and Latinx children and children who live in poverty, this is a perfect time for our organization to collaborate with a dedicated group of students who are focused on working toward health equity for all people. Together, we can educate, empower, and erase the challenges children face in accessing cancer treatment.”

“We greatly admire the work of Compass to Care and the entire GHA chapter is beyond excited to begin these projects!” said Jon Hoerner, Willa Riekhof and Persephone Tian, Co-Directors of the UChicago GHA Local Partnerships Team. “Every person, and especially every child, deserves the right to receive treatment without severe financial burden and we will work to accomplish Compass to Care’s mission in our partnership moving forward.”

About Compass to Care

Compass to Care, The Mike & Sandy Ernsdorff Childhood Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides a free Non Emergency Medical Travel (NEMT) solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and living in families facing financial distress. By removing the transportation barrier to access cancer treatment, Compass to Care is focused on improving survival outcomes for children with cancer. To learn more visit www.CompassToCare.org

PRESS CONTACT: Michelle Ernsdorff-May (312) 515-9490 Michelle@CompassToCare.org

Important information for our families from the SSA: the Social Security Administration (SSA) is in the process of compiling and updating a list of conditions which automatically qualify you as disabled.

The current list is comprised primarily of certain cancers, dementia disorders, and rare diseases which are expected to be terminal or which otherwise clearly cause those who suffer from them to be disqualified according to the SSA’s disability standards.

In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, you must be completely disabled. That is, you must be unable to perform any kind of substantial gainful activity due to your disability.

Furthermore, the disability must be expected to last for at least a year or to end in your death.

What Are Compassionate Allowances?

Compassionate allowances are made for conditions which clearly meet those criteria. As of 2016, there are over 200 conditions which qualify for a compassionate allowance.

The SSA is considering other conditions which may meet the qualifications for compassionate allowances, and they periodically update the list of accepted conditions. Therefore, even if your condition does not currently qualify you for a compassionate allowance, you may want to check the SSA’s website periodically.

If your disabling condition is on the Social Security disability compassionate allowances list, you will want to make certain that your application for Social Security disability benefits clearly states this.

The SSA has systems in force which are designed to automatically place applicants who qualify for compassionate allowances ahead of other applicants to ensure that their cases are handled expeditiously.

How Are Compassionate Allowance Claims Handled?

If you have a condition on the compassionate allowances list, and haven’t heard anything about your Social Security disability claim within one month of your application, contact your SSA office directly and inquire about your claim.

Alternately, you could contact a Social Security disability attorney or representative to handle your claim for you.

While most compassionate allowance cases are relatively quick and fairly straight forward, a qualified Social Security disability lawyer can still help you set up your application to ensure that you are entered into the compassionate allowances program.

It bears repeating that conditions which qualify for a compassionate allowance tend to be debilitating to the point that further medical diagnosis is not needed for the SSA to determine that you are no longer able to perform any kind of significant work.

If you are clearly disabled (by the SSA’s definition), yet your condition does not qualify you for a compassionate allowance, you may consider attempting to file for a QDD (Quick Disability Determination).

A QDD is used in cases where the applicant has an obvious disability which clearly hinders him or her from maintaining gainful employment, but which does not qualify him or her for a compassionate allowance.

Consult a Social Security Disability representative if you find you are not eligible for a compassionate allowance but think you may qualify for a QDD.

Next Steps to Take

For those qualifying for a compassionate allowance (or QDD), the wait time to start receiving Social Security disability benefits is significantly reduced.

Whereas most Social Security Disability claims take several months (and often more than a year) to make it through the system, the SSA really does make what efforts it can to ensure that those who qualify for compassionate allowances are approved quickly and efficiently.

If you have a condition that qualifies for the compassionate allowance program, regardless of what stage your condition is in (unless the listed condition mentions what stage it must be in to qualify), apply for Social Security disability benefits right away, and make sure that your condition is clearly documented and supported by your physician’s statement. Doing so ensures that you will begin receiving your Social Security disability payments in a timely manner.

Find out more!