NMDP FOUNDATION

PATIENT ASSISTANCE:THE NMDP FOUNDATION PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PATIENTS THROUGHOUT EACH STAGE OF THE TRANSPLANT PROCESS. FUNDED BY PHILANTHROPY, IN FY24, MORE THAN $6.3 MILLION WAS PROVIDED TO OVER 3,300 PATIENTS FROM 160 TRANSPLANT CENTERS. IN FY24, THE PROPORTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS WHO IDENTIFIED AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE RANGED FROM 0%-66% DEPENDING ON THE GRANT TYPE. FOR THE SICKLE CELL FERTILITY PRESERVATION GRANT, WHICH HELPS PAY FOR FERTILITY PRESERVATION AND STORAGE PRE-TRANSPLANT FOR SICKLE CELL DISEASE, ALL RECIPIENTS IDENTIFIED AS EITHER BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN. FOR THE POST-TRANSPLANT SUPPORT ASSISTANCE (TSA) GRANT, 66% OF RECIPIENTS IDENTIFIED AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE. THE SEARCH ASSISTANCE FUND GRANT (SAF) SUPPORT PATIENTS PRE-TRANSPLANT WHO HAVE BARRIERS RELATED TO INSURANCE THAT DELAY OR PREVENT THEM FROM FINDING A DONOR OR CORD BLOOD UNIT. THIS GRANT HELPS PATIENTS START THE SEARCH FOR AN UNRELATED DONOR OR CORD BLOOD UNIT BY GIVING TRANSPLANT CENTERS A GUARANTEE OF PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIC SEARCH AND/OR PROCUREMENT COSTS SHOULD THEY NOT BE COVERED BY INSURANCE. THERE WERE 6 PATIENTS APPROVED FOR SAF IN FY24.THE SICKLE CELL FERTILITY PRESERVATION GRANT HELPS PAY FOR FERTILITY PRESERVATION AND STORAGE FEES FOR PATIENTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE PREPARING FOR TRANSPLANT. THIS GRANT IS PAID TO THE FERTILITY PRESERVATION CLINIC OR PATIENT WHEN INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THIS COST. IN FY24, THIS GRANT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO 15 PATIENTS WITH AN AVERAGE AWARD AMOUNT OF $4,680. NMDP ALSO PROVIDES FUNDING TO HELP WITH THE MANY UNCOVERED OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES FOR PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER TRANSPLANT. THE TSA GRANT PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED FAMILIES BOTH PRE- AND POST-TRANSPLANT. TSA HELPS WITH EXPENSES SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION, TEMPORARY RELOCATION, COPAYS AND INSURANCE PREMIUMS. IN FY24, 3,337 TSA AWARDS WERE GRANTED TO 2,649 PATIENTS PRE- AND POST-TRANSPLANT WITH THE AVERAGE AWARD BEING $1,418.THE JOHN AND CARYN CAMIOLO SURVIVORSHIP GRANT (CAM) PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ELIGIBLE PATIENTS, WHO ARE AT LEAST THREE MONTHS POST-TRANSPLANT AND WHO ARE ACTIVELY RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE. CAM HELPS WITH UNCOVERED COSTS OF TREATMENT AND PRESCRIPTIONS. IN FY24, 206 PATIENTS WERE HELPED THROUGH THE CAM GRANT WITH EACH PATIENT AWARDED $750.THE CHELL TRAVEL GRANT PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ELIGIBLE PATIENTS WHO NEEDED ASSISTANCE WITH TRAVEL COSTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL TRIALS THAT TREAT BLOOD CANCERS OR BLOOD DISORDERS. FOR THIS GRANT, 41% OF RECIPIENTS IDENTIFIED AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE. IN FY24, 204 PATIENTS RECEIVED THE CHELL TRAVEL GRANT WITH THE AVERAGE AWARD AMOUNT BEING $1,485.TWO CRISIS GRANTS HELP PATIENTS EXPERIENCING A SIGNIFICANT CRISIS EVENT IMPACTING ACCESS TO TRANSPLANT OR POST-TRANSPLANT CARE. THE IRA AND DIANA RIKLIS CRISIS GRANT PROVIDES UP TO $10,000 IN DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED PATIENTS POST-TRANSPLANT AND THE MAKE ME STRONGER CRISIS GRANT PROVIDES UP TO $15,000 PRE-TRANSPLANT. IN FY24, 47 PATIENTS WERE HELPED THROUGH THESE CRISIS GRANTS WITH THE AVERAGE AWARD AMOUNT BEING $8,842. A COMMITTEE OF BMT SOCIAL WORKERS AND NAVIGATORS REVIEWS EACH CRISIS APPLICATION TO ENSURE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS GRANT. IN FY24, 47% OF GRANT RECIPIENTS IDENTIFIED AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE.

RECRUITMENT:THE NMDP REGISTRY IS THE MOST DIVERSE LISTING OF POTENTIAL DONORS AND CORD BLOOD UNITS IN THE WORLD. EVERY SEARCH THROUGH NMDP PROVIDES PATIENTS WITH ACCESS TO MORE THAN 44 MILLION POTENTIAL ADULT DONORS AND MORE THAN 820,000 CORD BLOOD UNITS WORLDWIDE. THE BEST MATCH FOR A PATIENT IS TYPICALLY SOMEONE WHO SHARES THEIR ETHNIC BACKGROUND. IMPROVING THE ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF THE NMDP REGISTRY IMPROVES ALL PATIENTS' ODDS OF FINDING THEIR BEST MATCH, REGARDLESS OF ETHNIC BACKGROUND.PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 30 ARE MOST URGENTLY NEEDED. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT CELLS FROM YOUNGER DONORS LEAD TO BETTER LONG-TERM SURVIVAL FOR PATIENTS.IN FY24, MORE THAN 240,000 POTENTIAL DONORS JOINED THE NMDP REGISTRY AND MORE THAN 4,400 UMBILICAL CORD UNITS WERE ADDED TO THE REGISTRY.