ENT Head Neck Cancer Assist Fund Created to Aid Patients at UMCNO
University Medical Center New Orleans serves as the region's safety net hospital, catering to both patients who are fully insured and to those who are uninsured or home insecure. UMCNO's mission is to provide exceptional patient care to the entire community, regardless of the patient's circumstantial setbacks. The Spirit of Charity Foundation was founded in 1993 to support the medical needs of the most vulnerable populations in the Greater New Orleans area. However, the fund cannot possibly support the needs of each clinical sub-specialty. Seeing the need for additional funding, Dr. Laura Pelaez and Dr. Rohan Walvekar created the ENT Head Neck Cancer Assist Fund as a sub-set within SOC (Spirit of Charity Foundation), where donors to make contributions specifically to help patients with complex ENT diseases.
This fund was created to help patients who suffer from life-changing ear-nose-throat diseases, like head and neck cancers.
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The fund is already changing the lives of patients by giving them the financial means for a swift recovery. A recent patient with complex head and neck cancer needed major reconstructive surgery, but did not have the resources to purchase post-operative care supplies for his tracheostomy. This could not only compromise his clinical care but also possibly extend his hospital stay. The SOC and ENT HNC Assist Fund were able to provide the financial support this patient needed while helping to ensure an on-time discharge, giving the opportunity for another patient to gain the care they need.