Medical City Cancer Resource Center, Dallas, Texas

TON - February 2012 VOL 5, No 1 — February 29, 2012

Comprehensive cancer resource centers provide a supportive environment in which patients can obtain accurate, current information about their specific type of cancer and become active partners in their healthcare. Access to up-to-date information can play a significant role in helping patients and their family members cope effectively with the complexities of cancer. Knowledge empowers patients in terms of adjustment to their cancer, participating in treatment, recognizing and controlling adverse effects of treatment, managing stress, mobilizing and managing resources, and adapting to a life of uncertainty.1
 
Studies have shown that providing comprehensive consumer information increased patient satisfaction and empowered patients to make the decisions related to their care.2 Newly diagnosed patients often react to hearing the word cancer with much anxiety and disbelief and need much more than information regarding their disease and its management.3 It is imperative that a positive healthcare environment, perceived emotional support, and effective communication with healthcare pro­viders also be included with the delivery of the information.4 These are only a few of the services the Medical City Cancer Resource Center (CRC) provides.

History and Development
Under the guidance and passion of the Medical City Hospital administration, the CRC project was initiated in 2005. The vision was to provide a central location for cancer patients to receive educational and psychosocial support. Further, it was created to address the need for patients to feel personalized care throughout their cancer treatment, from diagnosis to survivorship. Knowing the difficulties patients face accessing resources, our aim was to create a “home base” for patients where they could receive support within our center while also being navigated to the appropriate resources both within our healthcare facility and in the community. To set up these channels and forge a true cancer support community, collaboration with cancer-related community resources and organizations was needed.

When the opportunity arose in 2005 to partner with the American Cancer Society (ACS), it seemed like an ideal pairing. With their valuable volunteer training programs specifically for cancer patient care and their plethora of resources, ACS would become an essential component of the center. The ACS generously donates wigs, postmastectomy bras, and literature. It also provides personal health managers to the CRC and programs such as “Look Good…Feel Better” and “Reach to Recovery.” Our ACS liaison is responsive to our inventory needs, helps with community screenings and education programs, and supports the volunteers and staff as needed. In addition to the partnership with ACS, we have several community groups with giving spirits who donate handcrafted postmastectomy pillows, drain pouches, chemo caps, and wooden angels.

The location in the lobby of Medical City’s main tower means that the CRC is centrally located and accessible to the inpatient oncology units, chemotherapy infusion suite, oncologists’ offices, and the radiation therapy department. The physical space of the CRC was developed to provide an open atmosphere while also allowing areas for confidential conversations. The architect and interior designer used a natural setting theme with earthy colors, a therapeutic water wall, bamboo stalks, and fresh flowers. The glass outer face of the center allows for transparency, encouraging more hesitant patients to enter. The entry space houses the volunteer’s desk, as well as a seating and research area with 2 computers with open access for visitors. While seated at the computers, patients can peruse a wide variety of educational pamphlets ranging from prevention and lifestyle choices to cutting-edge genetic testing and research trials.

The center has a small kitchenette area with a coffee maker and a refrigerator stocked with drinks and snacks for visitors. The granite counter holds light meals offered for special events and support groups. For staff meetings, support groups, and educational seminars, our conference room holds up to 20 people and has a variety of layout options. Beyond the entryway are a “meditation area” with lounge chairs and a Zen sand garden and fountain. This area provides a respite for patients, who are welcome to enjoy the facilities at any point during their treatment journey. Two small back rooms include a private consultation space with more educational materials and an office for the CRC coordinator.

Since its inception, the CRC has grown tremendously through strategic marketing with physicians’ offices, inpatient units, and the community. We advertise all of our cancer screenings and educational programs in the local newspapers, on the Medical City Web page, on Facebook, and in flyers and posters. This marketing allows us to expand the patient population exposed to the center, as well as our Medical City Cancer Program. In addition, community events also reach out to family members and friends of cancer patients, who are then able to carry our message to their networks.

CRC Staff
Our team works synergistically toward addressing all of the needs of our patients, with administrators providing the framework and marketing, and trained volunteers providing a helping hand and spending time one-on-one with patients. The core care team at the CRC is composed of a coordinator, a part-time registered nurse, and generous volunteers. Members of the core team meet with newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families and provide educational and emotional support. Jan Tichenor, RN, MSN, CNS, OCN, is available as a liaison to the center and provides consultation with physicians, social workers, and other interdisciplinary professionals in developing a plan of care that includes connections with outside community cancer resources to best meet the needs of the individual. The CRC Coordinator addresses the administrative needs of the center. This includes coordinating CRC and community outreach events and screenings, ensuring mailings and reminders are sent in a timely fashion, ordering educational literature, and maintaining correspondence with the ACS and other community resources.

Volunteers who have attended the ACS CRC all-day training session are an integral part of the center. With a volunteer team composed entirely of cancer survivors, patients entering the center are given intensive support from another individual who identifies with their struggles. Essential to our volunteer team are our ACS-trained “Reach to Recovery” volunteers; they are breast cancer survivors who make visits to the inpatient units of the hospital and provide comprehensive educational materials and postsurgical exercises for patients who have undergone recent breast cancer surgery. In addition, we have a wide array of referrals and partners, including a genetic counselor who is available to patients with a strong family history of cancer, and a progressive cancer research center with access to all phases of cancer treatment clinical trials.

Comprehensive Cancer Support
We are fortunate to be able to provide our services free of charge. Upon entering the center, the patient is greeted by a volunteer and offered a snack or beverage. They can choose to take advantage of the center’s computers for guided research on a topic or opt for a personal meeting with a volunteer or staff member. During this time, the needs of the patient are evaluated and educational and support resources provided. The session can span from several minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of personal attention the patient requires.

There are several channels through which a patient or caregiver might go when visiting our center. Many patients enter with a recent diagnosis of cancer. In this case, they may be offered a consultation with our Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, as well as given a personal health manager notebook for medical paperwork and literature specific to their cancer type. In addition, they may be given a calendar of cancer events, as well as a referral to one of our support groups. Patients are also offered wigs and caps if they do not have the financial resources to purchase one of their own. In some instances we may also make referrals to genetic counseling, psychological counseling, financial aid programs, discounted hotels, and outside ACS support groups that are pertinent and more convenient for the patient.

Our community programs include support groups, educational seminars, and cancer prevention and awareness events. Support groups meet 3 times a month and currently address breast, prostate, and gynecologic cancers. For each meeting, the CRC Coordinator arranges for a community expert to speak on a relevant topic in his or her field. Recent topics have included “Using Your Head to Take Care of Your Heart” provided by a cardiologist, and “Acupuncture” by a practitioner of Chinese medicine. Larger events have included our “Medical City Goes Pink” for breast cancer awareness month and “Ponytail Donations,” for which volunteer hairdressers from the community came to the CRC to assist volunteers who donated their hair for wigs for children with cancer.

Awareness
Screenings and educational events allow the CRC to further its goal of expanding awareness and supporting prevention efforts. Each month, the CRC targets a type of cancer to highlight and often creates an event centered on education of that cancer. For example, during colon cancer awareness month, March, we hold a colon cancer screening with an educational lunch program by one of our colorectal surgeons. During the free screening open to the community in March 2011, we distributed 73 fecal immunochemical occult blood kits; of the 38 returned, 2 tests had positive findings. In addition to the event itself, a research study was conducted to gauge participants’ awareness and knowledge of colon cancer and how to prevent it. Since its inception, the CRC has participated in free screenings for skin, colon, breast, and prostate cancers. These screenings can include anyone from the community and often draw many Medical City employees as well for their own personal screenings.

Collaborative Support
The CRC at Medical City Hospital has become a comprehensive support community where patients are able to access all of their nonclinical needs under one roof. The strategic development of the center has ensured that every piece of our operation has been developed with patient satisfaction as the primary goal. In doing so, it has also brought the cancer departments of the hospital together. Through the support groups and community events, the CRC has fostered a collaborative atmosphere with physicians’ offices and hospital administrators. Doctors appreciate that the CRC provides their patients with care outside of their offices but does not navigate them away from Medical City. Although the CRC has grown exponentially since its inception, we are always pushing for greater visibility of the center to reach a wider patient population. We continue to do this through community outreach events, support groups, and screenings. Along these lines, we hope to develop a strong survivorship program to ease the transition from treatment-centered care to survivorship care. We hope to address this with psychosocial programs and follow-up to ensure that patients are following through with their posttreatment clinical protocols and experiencing a smooth integration back into daily life. The dynamic nature of the CRC ensures that it will continue to expand and find new ways of improving the lives of patients and their families. Through continued community events, screenings, and research, we anticipate that the CRC will remain the premier cancer resource center of north Texas.

References

  1. Eddleman J, Warren C.  Cancer resource center: a setting for patient empowerment. Cancer Pract. 1994;2:371-378.
  2. Sutherland G, Dpsych LH, White V, et al. How does a cancer education program impact on people with cancer and their family and friends? J Cancer Educ. 2008;23:126-132.
  3. Saca-Hazboun H. Empowering patients with knowledge. An update on trends in patient education. ONS Connect. 2007;5:8-13.
  4. Lehto RH. Identifying primary concerns in patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2011;38:440-447.

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