Volunteers Needed For American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery Program

But they ran into an issue Monday morning... They had patients needing to get to their treatments... But no volunteers to drive!

So, if you have just a little extra time and would like to help save a life, let me give you some info about the Road To Recovery Program:

• Volunteer drivers donate time and vehicles to take patients to treatments (not doctor visits)
• Drivers help provide encouragement and support
• Volunteers can help whenever it's convenient for you... Days, nights, weekends, etc.

If you'd like more information on how you can help, you can call the Shreveport office at 318-219-4028.

And just a little excerpt from the American Cancer Society FAQ page:

What is the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program?

Road to Recovery is an American Cancer Society program designed to ensure that cancer patients have transportation to and from medical facilities for treatments.  Volunteer drivers provide patients with a ride in order to keep them on their regular treatment schedule.

Why is Road to Recovery so important?

Many advances have been made in the fight against cancer. As a result, more people than ever can survive their personal battle with the disease. Unfortunately, when cancer patients do not have the means to actually get to and from their treatment facility, what stands between them and a cure may be a ride.

The Road to Recovery program is faced with the classic supply/demand problem - how to satisfy increasing demand for services with a fixed or decreasing supply of volunteers. There has been a 344 percent increase in demand for Road to Recovery transportation services in the last 20 years and a 46 percent increase in the last 10 years. We anticipate demand to continue to grow over the next 20 years. The 60 and older population will increase by 32 percent, and the population over 85 will increase by nearly 90 percent. Our mobile society means that many families are geographically dispersed and not able to help each other on a daily basis. The movement toward outpatient treatment and away from hospitalization is also contributing to the increased demand for transportation services. The supply of drivers has not kept up with the tremendous growth and demand.

Who volunteers for Road to Recovery?

Road to Recovery volunteers can be individual drivers with time to help others or even local companies who allow employees to provide transportation on company time in company cars.

While Road to Recovery volunteers currently come from all walks of life, the American Cancer Society knows that there are undiscovered possibilities in every community. Anyone who has a driver’s license, a safe driving record, personal automobile insurance, owns a car or has access to one, and can spare as little as one morning or afternoon a month is encouraged to volunteer.