HEALTH NAVIGATION
HOW WE ARE HELPING
FIREFIGHTERS
Our health navigators assist active and retired firefighters and their family members by providing physician referrals and resources for their specific type of cancer. We will intervene at any point in the cancer journey.
Our health navigators have assisted hundreds of firefighters and their family members since the program was established in 2012. We work with you or your designee. Our goal is to ensure they you are properly diagnosed and have information about state of the art treatment. We advocate for you through all phases of your cancer journey—diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and supportive care. We gather information about your cancer and concerns and provide guidance as you communicate with your providers. We will refer you to an expert physician who specializes in your type of cancer so you will have the information needed to make treatment decisions. To request health navigation, click the red button or call the number on this page.
Active and retired SFFD firefighters and their direct family members are eligible for health navigation and financial assistance. Direct family members include: Spouses, Children, Siblings and Parents. We will assist any firefighter’s family member who is not considered a direct member with health navigation.
Financial Assistance: If not covered by your health insurance, we will reimburse you for your out-of-pocket costs for an expert physician consultation, tumor genetic profiling, or travel and/or accommodations associated with out of the area consultations. As of December 2021, we have added a Co-Pay benefit to the menu. These amounts are limited—we will discuss with you at the time of referral or when you call.
Reimbursement Schedule
Up to:
$1,000.00 for our referral for an Expert Physician Consultation
$3,000.00 for Genetic Tumor Profiling, aka Genomic Profiling
$2,500.00 for Travel and Accommodations to an expert out of the area
Co-Pay Benefit
$1,000.00-$3,000.00: The co-pay benefit provides reimbursement for the out-of-pocket costs associated with physician-prescribed cancer treatment for active and retired SFFD firefighters, and at this time, is extended only limited to their spouses and children. The submission must be a minimum of $1000 and can be a maximum of $3000.
We expanded our health navigation and financial assistance program to serve firefighters with cancer outside of San Francisco to the greater Bay Area Departments in 2020.
All active and retired members of the fire service in District 4 & 5 of California Professional Firefighters (CPF), extending from Sonoma to San Jose, are eligible for health navigation and financial assistance.
If not covered by your health insurance, we will reimburse you for your out-of-pocket costs for an expert physician consultation, tumor genetic profiling, or travel and/or accommodations associated with out of the area consultations. These amounts are limited—we will discuss with you at the time of referral or when you call.
Reimbursement Schedule
Up to:
$1,000.00 for our referral for an Expert Physician Consultation
$3,000.00 for Genetic Tumor Profiling, aka Genomic Profiling
$2,500.00 for Travel and Accommodations to an expert out of the area
We acknowledge the challenges our SFFD cancer patients are living with. The journey does not end at the completion of treatment. The survivorship experience means adjusting to new feelings, lifestyle changes and a different way of looking at the world. To support our SFFD firefighters and family members with cancer, we are now offering cancer survivorship services to optimize wellness after completing treatment.
With over 20 years of experience in oncology, Angela Laffan, NP, MSN, an Advanced Practice Oncology Nurse Practitioner and co-founder of UCSF’s Cancer Survivorship program, has joined our team as a consultant. She will work with you individually to educate you about improving your health and quality of life to reduce your risk of cancer recurrence. Her services are provided in a holistic approach focusing on nutrition, exercise, psychological, financial and sexual health, and more. To learn more about Angela’s experience and qualifications, read her bio.
Eligibility is currently reserved for any active or retired SFFD firefighter or their direct family member who have completed treatment. If you are currently a health navigation patient working with Jeff Malone, Judy Lynch or Nick Oxford, they will be able to directly refer you to Angela. If not, to request health navigation or survivorship services, contact us at the number listed or click the red button on this page.
As difficult as it is to hear, our caseload includes active and retired firefighters with brain tumors in all phases of treatment and recovery. Navigating through brain tumor diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship is overwhelming for patients, loved ones and caregivers. Factor in the potential loss of a firefighter’s career and the future blurs. We acknowledge the challenges they are living with. Our goal is to assist with easing a piece of the burden.
To support our firefighter patients with brain tumors, we’re launching a new component of Health Navigation—Brain Tumor Peer Support. Dan Dunnigan, an experienced brain tumor peer support mentor, was diagnosed in 2013 with brain cancer as an active SFFD firefighter and survived. He knows firsthand what you are going through and can address your individual needs and concerns. Dan has proudly volunteered for the UCSF Brain Cancer Support Group and the IAFF/Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) since his diagnosis. To learn more about Dan’s experience and qualifications, read his bio.
Eligibility is currently reserved for any active or retired SFFD firefighter or their direct family member in all phases of brain tumor (cancerous or not) treatment and recovery. If you are currently a health navigation patient working with Jeff Malone, Judy Lynch or Nick Oxford, they will be able to directly refer you to Dan. If not, to request health navigation or Brain Tumor Peer Support services, contact us on this page at the number listed or click the red button.
People often describe the time after cancer diagnosis as a rollercoaster or whirlwind. Learning you have a cancer is a shock and you may worry about what it means for your life now and in the future. You will need to make many decisions about treatment. Getting full, reliable information is critical. We have put together an important resource that you can view and download HERE. We always say: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
We will quickly link active firefighters to the SFFD’s specially trained Workers Compensation representatives who will advise you and assist in filing the required paperwork. This may allow you access to cancer services outside of your primary health insurance’s network.
Since Jan 2018, 39 brave SFFD firefighters* have been referred to SFFCPF for Health Navigation and diagnosed with cancer. To date, 34 have survived and, sadly, 5 have not.
SFFD Status: Active 14 l Retired 25
Gender: Women 4 l Men 35
Type of Cancer:
GastrointestinaI Tract (8): Liver 1 l Pancreas 2 l Colon 3 l Rectal 2
Genitourinary Tract (7): Kidney 2 l Bladder 1 l Prostate 3 l Testicle 1
Skin/Soft Tissue (7): Basal/Squamous Cell 5 l Melanoma 1 l Sarcoma 1
Blood/Lymph (6): Multiple Myeloma 3 l Lymphoma 2 l Leukemia 1
Oral (4) l Breast (3) l Brain (2) l Thyroid (1) l Lung (1)
*Limited to the number referred to/known by SFFCPF
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Judy Lynch, RN, BS, MAOM is a board member and health navigator for SFFCPF. In 2009, she became familiar with SFFCPF and the increased incidence of genitourinary cancers in SFFD firefighters when her sister’s husband, Battalion Chief Phil Kelber, participated in the first bladder cancer screening, a scary prospect since his wife had been diagnosed two years before. In 2018, Judy was reacquainted with the Foundation when she read the Facebook tribute of a friend, another retired Battalion Chief, who was diagnosed and died in just two months from an aggressive kidney cancer. While exploring the website, she discovered SFFCPF’s Health Navigation Program. As a friend and relative of numerous SFFD firefighters, she was compelled to volunteer as a Health Navigator, joining the “team” of one, Jeff Malone. She was elected to the Board in May 2019.
