The American Cancer Society is offering licensed drivers the opportunity to fight cancer from behind the wheel. The Road to Recovery program seeks volunteer drivers to provide transportation for cancer patients. Volunteers will be asked to drive cancer patients to and from life-saving cancer treatments.
Volunteers are essential to improving quality of life for cancer patients and their families. The local chapter of the Knights of Pythias recently made a donation of $500 to the American Cancer Society specifically to support the Road to Recovery program.
Thanks to advances in medical research, many cancers that were once fatal can are now being successfully treated, but the road to recovery can be long and difficult. Nobody wants to travel the road to recovery alone and, in fact, many people can’t travel it at all without help.
Anyone who can spare a few hours can make a difference in someone’s life. All that’s required is picking up a patient at his or her home and driving them to and from a treatment facility.
Volunteer drivers for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program are needed throughout the state, but especially in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Volunteers will be trained and insured by the American Cancer Society.
For more information about the Road to Recovery program, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.
CentraState’s MS Center marks first anniversary
CentraState Medical Center’s Multiple Sclerosis Center, the first of its kind in Central and South Jersey, has marked its one-year anniversary. CentraState partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Mid-Jersey Chapter to bring comprehensive care closer to home for patients suffering from this chronic, often debilitating disease of the central nervous system.
According to a press release from CentraState, the MS Center helped treat nearly 100 patients since it opened, exceeding its expectations.
"Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis need coordinated care from a team of specialists," said Michelle Emmons, R.N., program coordinator. "We also offer the education and resources they need to help them understand and cope with their diagnosis. MS can strike anyone at anytime, leaving many people feeling alone and scared."
The clinicians at the MS Center include a neurologist, nurse coordinator, urologist, oncologist, social worker, and physical, occupational and speech therapists. The center also provides nutritional services, patient education/counseling, and complementary medicine such as massage therapy and reiki, an energy-based system of gentle touch.
The MS Center is expanding its physician hours to meet growing demand. In partnership with CentraState’s Health Awareness Center, the center has plans to offer an exercise package designed for patients with MS. Earlier this year, the center also started a support group for patients with the disease.
The Mid-Jersey chapter of the National MS Society donated $50,000 to CentraState to help fund the center.