Supporting Action for Emergency Response (SAFER) Ukraine

The St. Jude Global Alliance, which includes institutional partners in the Euro region, was established in 2018. Part of the work of the Alliance is empowering communication among institutional partners, which contributed to the development of SAFER Ukraine. Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, the St. Jude Global Euro Regional Program mobilized. The team began working with institutions in the region to determine how to ensure continued treatment for all pediatric oncology patients. As part of this effort, a virtual command center is staffed 24 hours a day. 

To evacuate from Ukraine into Poland using SAFER Ukraine, a patient’s family or clinician contacts the Tabletochki Charity Foundation. The foundation obtains the patient’s medical records and sends the information to SAFER Ukraine for translation. The patient and his or her accompanying family members travel to a safe and central departure point in Ukraine where they and others meet their assigned transportation. Once across the border, the patients and families travel to a central triage center to rest and await coordination of their transfer to a clinic where they will continue treatment. 

Unicorn Marian Wilemski Clinic is a triage center  where patients and their families can rest, eat and sleep while medical staff determine where they will relocate for treatment.

The evacuation of pediatric cancer patients and their families from Ukraine is a large-scale operation. SAFER Ukraine is grateful for the partnership of the Polish government and its pediatric oncology community, including the Fundacja Herosi and the Polish Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, to provide a safe place for these patients when they initially cross the border. To alleviate the burden on Polish hospitals, SAFER Ukraine is working with governments and hospitals around the world to identify the best clinic for each patient to continue their treatment while also limiting the disruption of relocating. More than 20 countries have offered capacity to welcome these patients.

SAFER Ukraine is possible due to the global pediatric oncology community, including the support of foundations, governments and professional organizations along with countless dedicated and determined volunteers. St. Jude Global staff are working with Fundacja Herosi (Poland), Tabletochki Charity Foundation (Ukraine), Daruieste Viata (Romania), Polish Society of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology,  Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Centre, Society of Paediatric Oncology, Childhood Cancer International - Europe, and numerous other colleagues in the region. 

SAFER Ukraine works with each receiving country’s government to ensure coverage of medical costs.