Funded Cancer Programs

There are a number of supportive clinical services that can be very beneficial to the cancer treatment process.
Examples of these supportive service programs include:

Nutritional Counseling
Pain Management
Training and Education for Caregivers
Certified Cancer Navigator

In every circumstance these programs are delivered by licensed and/or accredited professionals. In almost all cases, these services are not reimbursed by insurance and are very costly to patients or their caregivers. The costs often prevent patients from accessing these essential services. However these programs are essential to the care process for all patients.

Nutritional Counseling

Many cancer patients are challenged with weight loss or weight gain as a complication of their chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and/or radiation therapy.  For cancer patients, foods taste different, nutritional needs are heightened and the myriad of diet programs on the market are complicated and confusing. Cancer patients need a trained dietitian to assist them in maintaining good nutrition during their treatment process. In some cases this also requires the use of supplements. The dietitian assist patients with selecting the correct supplement for their clinical needs.  Many patients struggle with the cost of buying the nutritional supplements for several weeks or months.

Pain Management

One important often overlooked fact regarding cancer patients is that in many cases they experience high levels of pain and anxiety. OTC pain relievers and ultimately prescriptive narcotics are used to assist in relieving these symptoms. However in many cases these medications are not effective enough. In some situations, the patients are not comfortable taking narcotics or may have a drug allergy. Acupuncture and Massage are natural treatments and methods for assisting patients with pain and anxiety relief.  Oncology Massage and Acupuncture often lessen nausea, reduce pain, anxiety and depression, improve appetite and may enhance the immune system as well as improve blood flow to vital organs.

Training and Education for Patients and Caregivers

There is an overwhelming need for caregiver support. So many resources are focused on the patient, but there is a whole group of caregivers that are thrust into a very complicated, supportive role without any training, guidance or the financial resources to obtain assistance. The Caregiver program has been designed by clinical staff to assist the families of cancer patients with the difficult task of assisting their loved one with coping with the daily regimens, challenges and complications of cancer therapy.    Our primary program, Cancer 101, is designed to teach caregivers the expected side effects that are common with treatment and explains how to communicate these difficulties more effectively with healthcare providers.

CancerGuide Navigation

Just as a trip to an unknown destination is made easier with a good map, the experience of dealing with the turmoil and confusion of a cancer diagnosis can be less overwhelming by using the services of a CancerGuide.
 
The CancerGuides ™ program was developed by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington , D.C.   because of an urgent need by people with cancer to have reliable information on complementary and alternative ( CAM ) therapies.   With a CancerGuide, patients are provided with options and information about conventional treatment as well as CAM therapies as they move through and beyond their experience of cancer and its treatment.