NCI Offers Support for Those Affected by Hurricanes or Other Natural Disasters
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is committed to helping those who have been impacted by the effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters.
NCI resources are available to enable cancer care and research to continue even in the face of catastrophic events. Please continue to check this page for essential information updates, which will be provided as NCI continues to track the impact of these events on the patients, clinicians, and researchers we serve.
NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have teamed up to help link patients and their health care providers in the event of a serious hurricane.
Patients can contact the CIS by calling 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or by visiting LiveHelp® online chat. If people are displaced from their homes due to a disaster situation, the CIS can offer assistance on where to receive care.
ASCO has created a Hurricane Message Board to help doctors and patients who live and work in areas affected by hurricanes to locate and communicate with each other or other care providers. Click on http://www.asco.org/hurricane to visit the board.
NCI and ASCO have jointly developed a free wallet card that can be ordered from NCI. The card directs people to the CIS and ASCO's Cancer.Net Web site and Hurricane Message Board to get help or to reconnect with their doctors. The card also includes space for important information about the patient's diagnosis, doctor, and treatment regimen in case the patient is displaced during a serious storm and is seen by other health care providers.
More information about the NCI-ASCO Disaster Wallet Card and how to order a supply can be found at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/support/walletcard.
About the CIS
NCI's Cancer Information Service provides the latest and most accurate cancer information to patients, their families, the public, and health professionals. The CIS is available to help provide cancer-related information - including referrals to possible support services - to patients and doctors affected by events like hurricanes.
Telephone Resources
- Call 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
CIS information specialists answer calls Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time, in English or Spanish. Callers also have the option of listening to recorded information about cancer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615.
Internet Resources
Information for the Research Community
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