Hundreds of cancer patients throughout WA are continuing to receive vital help despite the COVID-19 pandemic after one of the State\u2019s most important support organisations took just 48 hours to switch to a fully on-line service.<\/p>\n
Solaris Cancer Care offers support to all people in WA affected by cancer, including carers and family members, through all stages of the illness.<\/p>\n
It was forced to close its five centres on March 18 as the COVID-19 crisis deepened and its clients, whose immune systems are already compromised, retreated to self-isolation to avoid contracting the virus.<\/p>\n
Solaris took just two days to transform its programs from face to face to on-line and by phone \u2014 ensuring people already coping with the debilitating effects of cancer were not abandoned.<\/p>\n
Solaris chairperson Professor David Joske said the online services and counselling were being accessed across the State and demand was increasing at an unprecedented rate.<\/p>\n
\u201cCancer touches many lives regardless of global pandemics and economic meltdowns,\u201d Professor Joske said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, during the COVID crisis, supporting cancer patients, who are already immune-compromised and fighting for their lives, and their supporters,<\/strong> through such uncertain and unprecedent times adds a layer of complexity to an already vastly complicated medical, mental and well-being situation.\u201d<\/p>\n But Solaris, which relies heavily on volunteers and a small staff, has taken a financial hit. Massive unemployment and social distancing rules have stripped away vital fundraising options and donations, and income from venue hire has collapsed, leaving the service searching for financial support.<\/p>\n With the State Government advertising for allied health staff including social workers and clinical psychologists, the volunteer-base could be eroded as people look for better pay or paid work to support their own families.<\/p>\n Solaris has turned to funding groups including Lotterywest in its search for a financial lifeline but is also hoping for community and business support.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to rising to the challenges which stand before us,\u201d Professor Joske said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need funding now to continue our vital support to cancer patients, their supporters and general public as this community seeks help to navigate the COVID-19 crisis as it impacts their medical journeys, survival and mental health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hundreds of cancer patients throughout WA are continuing to receive vital help despite the COVID-19 pandemic after one of the State\u2019s most important support organisations took just 48 hours to switch to a fully on-line service. Solaris Cancer Care offers support to all people in WA affected by cancer, including carers and family members, through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[653],"class_list":["post-2699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-solariscare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2699\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}