Terra med Alliance News Foundation Grant to Help Parents Manage Children's Leukemia Treatments

Online, October 30, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Terra med Alliance News : CIGNA is teaming up with the Childhood Leukemia Foundation (CLF) to offer CLF's Hope BinderTM free of charge to parents of children with cancer at 160 hospitals nationwide.

The CLF Hope Binder is a tool designed to help parents manage the overwhelming amount of information related to their child's care, including worksheets and resources to help document treatment protocols, medicines, doctor's appointments, lab results, physicians, hospitals, nutrition concerns, and insurance benefits - all the details that come with facing leukemia. The binder also includes free telephone calling cards and informational booklets.
The CIGNA Foundation's $75,000 grant to the CLF makes it possible for the group to supply 2,200 Hope Binders to more than 160 hospitals nationwide, up from just over 300 Hope Binders distributed in 2007. CIGNA has added a free copy of the video game Re-Mission™, a tool to help young people better manage their health while undergoing cancer treatment. Research has shown that Re-Mission, which was created by the nonprofit organization HopeLab, helps teens and young adults stick to their recovery regimens.

"After hearing the devastating news that their child has cancer, families cling to any information they can put their hands on, and find it helpful to be able to organize all of the clinical notes, lab reports, brochures, medication sheets, and phone numbers they receive," said Michelle Hoffman, MSW, LSW, a pediatric outpatient clinic social worker at Lutheran Children's Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. "We have given numerous Hope Binders to families, and parents say how much it meant to them knowing there were free resources available early on in their child's care. Sometimes we see them sitting in their child's room diligently filling out the binder as if it is the first day of class, and this is their homework."

"When the initial diagnosis of cancer is made, parents and caregivers are not usually equipped to handle and process the flood of information related to their child's care," said Childhood Leukemia Foundation President Barbara Reid. "The Hope Binder documents a child's treatment by providing a way for parents to log and organize information that they can take with them whenever it's needed."

"We're pleased to help the CLF get many more Hope Binders into the hands of parents of newly diagnosed cancer victims. The binders are an important tool for people with children in life-threatening medical conditions," said CIGNA Medical Director, Dr. Glenn Pomerantz. "We're also glad to be able to add free copies of "Re-Mission" to Hope Binders. Now, along with giving parents a way to organize information, Hope Binders also offer teenagers and young adults a fun way to learn about, and get a sense of control over their cancer."

"We deeply appreciate CIGNA's 'walk the talk' approach for helping individuals, families and communities enhance their health and well-being," Reid said.

HopeLab's Re-Mission is available free to teen and young adults with cancer and their families at www.CIGNA.com/re-mission. For more information about HopeLab and Re-Mission, visit www.hopelab.org.

Terramed Alliance is a non-profit organization in the battle against leukemia helps children living with cancer and their families. Our goal is to make sure children battling cancer know they are not alone. For more information please visit www.terramedalliance.org. Email at contact@terramedalliance.org