Shanti Project, one of San Francisco’s oldest community-based caregiving organizations for people with life-threatening conditions, recently launched the Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Program. Here at the San Francisco Bay Times, we know that our late great former columnist and long-time Shanti supporter Stu Smith would have loved this, given how often he spoke about, and advocated for, inclusion of women in Shanti’s efforts.
The expanded services were announced at a press conference at San Francisco’s City Hall. There, Shanti Executive Director Kaushik Roy was joined by San Francisco Supervisors Malia Cohen, Jane Kim and Katy Tang and State Assemblymember David Chiu.
“In partnership with the City of San Francisco and our many hospital and community partners, the Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Program will be San Francisco’s most comprehensive community-based effort to offer support and compassion to any woman who is facing cancer here in San Francisco,” said Roy.
Many of the elected officials who spoke expressed their gratitude to Shanti for striving to serve the most vulnerable members of our City. “We are only as healthy as the unhealthy among us,” said Supervisor Cohen as she thanked Shanti for its 41-year legacy of compassion. Supervisor Tang noted that she was particularly grateful for Shanti’s expanded efforts to serve clients who speak a multitude of languages and come from other cultures, where there may be stigma around the topic of cancer.
The program’s continuum of free services includes at-home and onsite care navigation, appointment accompaniment, transportation and grocery vouchers, translation services, emotional and practical support, community referrals and wellness and support groups. For the past 14 years, the program exclusively served breast cancer clients, before extra funding was added to the Program’s city contract.
“I’m especially grateful to the female members of the Board of Supervisors who came together two years ago to secure extra funding for the Program, and to Mayor Lee who sustained and increased the funding in his most recent budget,” said Roy.
Several elected officials shared personal stories about how they were impacted by cancer, including Supervisor Kim, who recalled how a friend dying of cancer requested to pass away at home in a familiar environment.
Anyone interested in receiving services or learning more about Shanti’s Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Program, should call Ai-May Tan, Program Manager, at 415-674-4735
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