Partnership ensures cancer patients receive life-saving treatment

Severely reducing public transportation may be necessary to protect public health, but it has harmed those who rely on it most, especially during the coronavirus outbreak.

For cancer patients unable to afford private means of transportation, limited public services might limit access to life-saving treatment, which often requires travel to a hospital.

To help the most vulnerable receive necessary medical treatment, the Inbar and Marius Nacht Family Foundation has partnered with the Israel Lemonade Fund (Israel Breast Cancer Emergency Relief Fund) to establish a network of national transportation services for cancer patients unable to travel to appointments.

“The Lemonade Fund is a nonprofit that has been helping needy breast-cancer patients over the past decade,” Israel Lemonade Fund founder and director Shari Mendes said.

“When public transportation was cut off, we immediately launched an appeal to fund private taxi rides,” she said. “A donor miraculously appeared and offered to expand the project nationally for all types of cancer patients.”

Funding for transportation will be available for patients across the country, with social workers coordinating requests for payment and travel, the partners said in a press release.

“The foundation is dedicated to identifying distinctive needs during this coronavirus crisis,” said Nachman Rosenberg, chief executive of the Inbar and Marius Nacht Family Foundation. “We are privileged to launch this national venture with Lemonade’s amazing team.”