When you need to travel to a different town or state to receive medical care, or to participate in a clinical
trial, both you and your caregiver might be looking for travel and lodging support so you can focus on
getting better. Our navigators who assist patients and caregivers at the Patient Helpline have put together medical travel and lodging resources that are geared toward patients undergoing medical treatment. If you need assistance beyond these resources, you can always contact the Patient Helpline.
Lodging Options During Medical Travel
● Joe’s House:
Joe’s House is not an actual house, but a nonprofit organization that helps cancer patients and their families find a place to stay when traveling away from home for medical treatment. They list hospitals across the country with nearby lodging facilities that offer a discount. Several national hotel chains, including Best Western, Red Roof Inn, Wyndham Hotel Group, and Extended Stay America, have partnered with Joe’s House to provide discounted lodging rates. Although Joe’s House caters to cancer patients, any patient, regardless of diagnosis may use the lodging facilities listed.
Patients can also reach them at: 877-563-7468
● Healthcare Hospitality Network (HHN):
HHN supports more than 200 non-profit member organizations that provide lodging and support services to patients and their families that need to travel for medical care. You can use their online resource to locate lodging near the hospital or medical center where you’ll be receiving treatment: https://members.hhnetwork.org/locate-a-house.
Patients can also reach them at: 800-318-8861.
Air Travel to Receive Medical Care
Air Care Alliance helps connect patients and their families in need of free air transportation to medical care. The organization collaborates with Volunteer Pilot Organization across the country to help patients access distant medical care or supportive services by arranging free flights through their volunteer pilots.
These flights ARE NOT AIR AMBULANCES.
Rural locations: The pilots can pick up passengers at an airport near their home or treatment facility, even if the passenger lives in a rural area or far from commercial service. Look at their detailed FAQ page for additional questions that you may have about the service.
● Angel Flight West:
Operating in the Western U.S., Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots fly people to their medical appointments at no cost to the passenger. Volunteer drivers then drive the patient from the airport to the medical facility. They cover 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
You can access specific information about their service on the FAQ page.
Patients can also reach them at: 310-390-2958.
● Mercy Medical Angels:
Mercy Medical Angels provide free air and ground transportation to patients and caregivers who require long-distance care. They also provide gas cards, bus and train tickets for patients. These flights are not air ambulances.
Patients should be fairly independent and not require much assistance getting on or off the aircraft.
Financial Resources to Cover Cost of Medical Care
Patients and their families seeking financial support to help cover the cost of medical care can reach out
to the following programs and resources:
o The Assistance Fund
o My Good Days
o PAN Foundation
o Accessia Health
from the editor:
The information compiled in this article comes directly from the work done by the Patient Navigators of Patients Rising’s Patient Helpline. Our navigators have helped over 5200 unique individuals to date, one-on-one, with resources, services, and advice that has gotten clients unstuck from the issues they contacted us about. Special thanks to navigators Sam and Levi, and writer Surabhi.
Surabhi Dangi-Garimella, Ph.D. is a biologist who provides writing and strategic support to non-profit groups via her consultancy, SDG AdvoHealth, LLC.
