Funding CAPO will improve the course of cancer for millions of Canadians living with cancer:

• Facilitate equal access to psychosocial support services regardless of where a person lives, their age, income or ethnicity.
• Standardized evidence based patient care models focused on reducing emotional and psychological distress.
• Improved psychosocial interventions and programs for individuals with high quality research.
• Implementation of standardized screening for distress throughout the cancer trajectory regardless of where cancer patients receive care
• Education and training for all health care professionals to increase capacity for psychosocial care.
• Develop programs and resources to help patients return to work
• Foster the integration of a whole person centred approach in all aspects of cancer care.
• Raise awareness and expectations for quality psychosocial care.

The funding vacuum

$48 Million is raised for cancer research in Canada every year.

Less than 3% of all cancer care funding in Canada goes to psychosocial services.  The 3,340 Canadians diagnosed with cancer each week, and their families need practical support and expert care.

Funding psychosocial supportive care creates efficiencies within the health care system.

Patients who participate in psychotherapeutic interventions significantly decrease their distress, which increases their ability to cope with the disease and treatment. They also:

• decreased their average hospital Length of stay by 77.9%
• decreased their hospitalization frequency by 66.7%
• decreased emergency room visits by 45.3%

all of which creates more efficiencies with the healthcare system.