Record number of Northern Ontario families seek support from Hope Air to reach medical care far from home

Demand for Hope Air programs for Ontario patients increases 165% in 2023 to 3,367 travel arrangements for patients in need to reach critical medical care.

TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2024 /CNW/ - Hope Air, Canada's national charity providing travel support to patients in financial need who must travel far from home to access vital medical care, announced an all-time annual record high in travel arrangement support for residents of Ontario. This milestone of 3,367 travel arrangements in Ontario includes over 1,736 airline flights for families, individuals, and children travelling from diverse communities across the province including Thunder Bay, Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Hearst, Sudbury, Gore Bay, Kenora, and Windsor, among many others.

Lorena, Hope Air patient from Hearst, Ontario. (CNW Group/Hope Air)

Hope Air's free medical travel programs assist patients living in numerous small, remote or rural communities across Ontario, providing airline, hotel, meals and ground transportation programs. Hope Air supports patients who cannot afford the significant expenses associated with travelling for diagnostic testing, treatment, and follow-up care for a variety of health conditions including Cancer, Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Respiratory, Orthopaedic, Mental Health, Autism, Pediatric among many others. Hope Air programs support the policies of government that are committed to reducing poverty and improving access to health care.

"Where you live should not determine if you live" said Mark Rubinstein, Chief Hope Officer, Hope Air "With soaring demand from families and children in need who turn to Hope Air, we must continue to answer their call. As demand grows exponentially, exceeding our available resources, we must come together – government, health care sector, private sector, donors and volunteers – to support the unique role that Hope Air plays in Ontario. Equitable access to health care – despite distance or financial means - is a fundamental right."

"Without Hope Air helping me travel from Northern Ontario to Toronto for cancer treatment, I would have been forced to delay my appointments and go deeply into debt" said Lorena from Hearst, Ontario.  "With their support, I have been able to focus on my treatment and care for Ovarian Cancer.  Hope Air literally saved my life."  

Background Information:

• Over 800,000 people reside in Northern Ontario, far from advanced medical care provided by hospitals such as Sick Kids Hospital and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Most communities in Northern Ontario are rural and remote with limited specialized medical care facilities.
• Funding for Hope Air programs is provided through the generous support of corporate, foundation and individual donors. However, as demand will exceed available resources, Hope Air is advocating for a funding partnership with the Government of Ontario.
• Low-income families in rural and remote communities are twice as likely to have multiple chronic conditions as compared to others.
• The expenses paid by a patient to travel long distance for medical care, can exceed $2,000 per trip.

About Hope Air

Hope Air is Canada's national charity providing free flights, accommodations, meals and ground transportation for Canadians in financial need who must access medical care far from home. For people living on a low income in small and rural communities, distance and cost are very real barriers to accessing vital medical care. Hope Air is a unique and essential part of our Canadian healthcare system. For more information, visit hopeair.ca

SOURCE Hope Air

Jodi Lumsden, Director of Marketing & Communications, [email protected], 647-688-5634