A Support Registry for Patients
PATH (Patient Access to Help) at the Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute empowers patients by connecting them with the additional resources during their treatment.
Our mission is to create a community of care, ensuring that no patient faces their journey alone.
For many patients, cancer treatment can lead to financial challenges and the need for additional support. The Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute has partnered with The WITT Group Inc. to offer an easy way for patients to seek help from family, friends, and their community for non-clinical needs during their proton therapy journey.
PATH is an online platform where Hampton Proton patients can create their own Support Registry to share with their loved ones and community to request assistance with various non-critical expenses such as transportation, food, gas, housing, and co-pays.
How to Get Started
Creating a registry with PATH is easy. Visit the PATH platform where you can:
- Create an account
- Build your registry
- Invite family and friends to support you
- Choose to make your registry public to receive donations outside of your care circles
How It Works
PATH is designed for Hampton Proton patients, but anyone can sign up to contribute and donate. Accounts can be created by patients or by those looking for ways to offer assistance, including:
PATIENTS:
PATH works like a traditional registry. Patients create a personalized list of financial and non-financial needs, allowing friends, family, and community members to see how they can help.
FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND COLLEAGUES:
Loved ones and caregivers can be invited by patients to join a private support circle on the PATH Registry, eliminating the guesswork and providing clear opportunities to contribute.
ANONYMOUS SUPPORTERS:
Anyone can join the PATH registry and make direct donations to patients in need. Every public registry is verified by the Hampton Proton PATH team, ensuring donors can give with confidence.
POTENTIAL PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
We invite local businesses and non-profit organizations to collaborate with us and contribute to the PATH program. Through partnerships and donations, you can help expand access to critical support services and make a meaningful impact in the community.
Support a Patient
If you’d like to support a Hampton Proton patient, consider making a donation on the PATH platform.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Want to learn more about PATH? See answers to frequently asked questions or email us.
What is PATH and how does it help patients?
PATH, which stands for “Patient Access To Help,” is a platform that was created to make it easy for patients to ASK for help and make it easy for people to GIVE. It combines the simplicity of a wedding registry with the personalized needs of a patient and a financial tool, into an easy-to-use platform.
How does PATH work?
Patients use the PATH Support RegistryTM as they would any other “registry”. Patients create a list of all items that they need help with (both financial and non-financial help) and post those items on the platform so that everyone who wants to help them has visibility to what the patient needs.
Families, friends, and colleagues that are invited by the patient to a private care circle on the PATH Support Registry, no longer have to guess how they can help, and have options and flexibility in the ways they can provide support.
Anyone can join the PATH Support Registry and have an opportunity to donate directly to patients in need at hamptonproton.wittforever.com. Every patient whose registry is public has been verified as a real patient by Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute, ensuring that donors can give with confidence. The PATH Support Registry also provides transparency on what each request is for and facilitates easy transfer of funds to patients.
Also, non-profits and providers can identify and refer patients that they believe can benefit from the PATH Support Registry.
I am uncomfortable asking for help. How will this help remove my fear of asking?
While most patients need help, the fear of asking for help usually arises when a patient asks a specific person to do something for them. They don’t want to be a burden or an imposition to the person they are asking, so it is not the asking itself that is the issue, it is the asking a specific person that is the problem.
The PATH platform breaks this dynamic by enabling a patient to ask for the help they need without asking any specific person. Patients can put their asks and needs out to everyone, invite people that want to help them to see what they need help with, and then give the people that want to help the opportunity to decide how much they would like to help.
By not asking a specific person to do something for them, but yet giving people who want to help the visibility to help, the PATH platform takes the fear out of asking.
What is the PATH Support Registry?
The PATH Support Registry is the name for the Registry (on the PATH Platform) that a patient creates listing their asks to get the help they need.
What types of things can I ask for help with?
We recognize that patients need both financial (e.g. help with rent, groceries, medication, etc.) and non-financial (e.g. picking up children from daycare, going for a walk, talking, etc.) help. Our platform allows the patient to ask for both types of help. Nothing is too trivial or insignificant to ask for.
A patient, with stage 3 anal cancer, who wanted $20 to go get a haircut, but was embarrassed to ask his friends for money. He felt that asking for money for a haircut when he was dealing with cancer, would not be correct. What he did not realize is that there were many people in his support network who were happy to give him the $20 as they realized that mental health was as important to a patient as the treatment itself.
At Hampton Proton, we understand that cancer treatment is more than just a medical journey – it’s a life-changing experience that can bring several unknowns and unexpected hurdles.
PATH is another way we ensure that no patient has to face these challenges alone and continue to deliver on our promise of the #1 Patient Experience.
Scott Berry
Executive Director