Patient & Caregiver Support

Ron's Rescue - Patient Support

Providing Financial Assistance to Pancreatic Cancer Patients in
New England, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington D.C.



Donate to Ron’s Rescue

Helpful Hints for Pancreatic Cancer Patients in CT

Know Your Social Security Benefits

  • If you have a terminal diagnosis and worked a total of 40 quarters (or 10 years) you may be eligible for Social Security Disability (SSD). This is retroactive to the date of your diagnosis.
  • If you are already collecting social security, you may be able to collect SSD in a matter of weeks.

Health Insurance Benefits/Medicare

  • If you do not have health insurance try Health Reinsurance Association (Glastonbury). This is a high risk pool. It is expensive but less expensive than paying for treatment out of pocket.
    Call 1-800-842-0004 or visit     www.hract.org
  • Check your health insurance benefits. You may be eligible for home care and hospice services. Medicare does cover hospice benefits. However, if you need to go to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), Medicare does not pay for room and board for hospice.
  • To go to a SNF under traditional Medicare you must have a qualifying 3 day inpatient hospital stay, however; • Managed Medicare plans (Connecticare VIP, United Health Care Advantage and Blue Cross Mediblue) do not require an inpatient stay.
doctor speaking with patients

Home Care and Hospice

  • Some private insurance will pay for inpatient and home hospice. Check your plans.
  • If you have a home care/hospice benefit, ask your home care agency about hospice volunteers. If family members are not available, hospice volunteers may be able to help with transportation, errands or stayingwith you.
  • Your doctor does not have to refer you for homecare. You or your family may refer you to home care. The home care agency will contact your doctor for service orders.

Financial Assistance


If you have questions about the fund, please contact Cathy Lou at Cathylou@ronsrun.org or call 860.521.0500.


Clinical Trials

Comfort and Support


• Household Needs

Meals on Wheels: mealsonwheelsamerica.org


• Therapeutic Massage

Society for Oncology Massage: s4om.org


• Wellness

West Hartford Yoga: Offers restorative and gentle yoga  classes to pancreatic patients and caregivers, free of charge through their WHY Outreach program. Call West Hartford Yoga at 860-953-9642 for more information.


LiveStrong at the YMCA: A twelve week wellness program  for cancer survivors. Sponsored by the YMCA. Working to build muscle strength, flexibility and endurance. For more  information, visit livestrong.org .

Support Groups

Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Yale-New Haven Smilow Cancer Center

Call Jan Lenkowski-Mueller, MSW at 203-200-3354 for information and to register.

GI Cancer Family Support Group
Yale-New Haven Smilow Cancer Center

1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month. Call Susanne Lee-Baldossini, LCSW at 203-200-2120 or Sue Hotchkiss, RN at 203-200-1852 for information and to register.
General Cancer Support Group
Saint Francis Hospital
114 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105

3rd Tuesday of every month, 5:00pm-6:30pm (Conference Room, 2nd Floor). To register, contact Lee Tremback, LCSW at 860-714-4731.

Online

Caregivers Support

Cancer Caregiver Support
Group
Saint Francis Hospital
114 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105

1st Tuesday of every month, 5:00pm-6:30pm (Conference Room, 2nd Floor). To register, contact Lee Tremback, LCSW at 860-714-4731.

Questions? Please email Cathy Lou King at cathylou@ronsrun.org .

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