Support
Cancer Navigator
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| "Thank you for guiding me through this experience. It would have been very different if I had done it on my own." - Robert S. |
Provided as a free service of the St. Joseph Cancer Institute, the cancer navigator program is designed to assist patients and their families to obtain the information, knowledge, support, and guidance they need to successfully manage cancer care.
The cancer navigator meets newly diagnosed cancer patients and provides educational materials, individualized patient education, patient and family support, and referrals to appropriate community services. Working closely with the medical staff, the cancer navigator is the key to the coordination of care and navigation through the health care system for the individual patient. Patients diagnosed with cancer are educated, supported, and navigated through the continuum of care. The navigator also coordinates all cancer support groups and activities. Designated as the institute's single point of contact for patients and caregivers, the focus of the navigator's role is to make it easy for patients and their families to access services and information.
St. Joseph Medical Center recognizes that treating and living with cancer requires a team effort. Diagnostic services, surgery, medical oncology, pain management, home health, rehabilitation services, and a variety of other areas may be involved in a patient's treatment. The cancer navigator helps serve as a liaison between the patient and the St. Joseph care teams.
Community Outreach
The Community Outreach Department at St. Joseph supports our mission of loving service and compassionate care by addressing the need for increased access to quality health care and the need to prevent and reduce tobacco use. Every year Community Outreach partners with physicians and other staff to provide free screenings for the early detection of prostate, skin, head/neck/oral and breast cancers. Every effort is made to encourage uninsured, underinsured and persons without primary care providers to participate. Education about cancer, its risk factors, prevention techniques, signs and symptoms and the importance of regular screenings are the cornerstone of Community Outreach’s educational plan.
Spiritual Care
The Spiritual Care Department at St. Joseph Medical Center helps meet the need of the whole patient and their families. Spiritual Care focuses on the spiritual aspects of wellness, illness, recovery, medical care, ethical decisions, dying and death. All religious traditions are held sacred. A diverse and professional staff of Chaplains, gifted in spiritual ministry, visit patients on a regular basis. They can be contacted through the nursing staff or by calling the Spiritual Care office at 410-337-1109.
Look Good…Feel Better Program (LGFB)The Cancer Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center offers the Look Good…Feel Better Program, which is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral, national public service program founded to help women offset appearance-related changes from cancer treatment.
The program’s concept is that if someone with cancer can be made to look good, their improved self-esteem will help them to approach their disease and treatment with greater confidence.
The program is offered through a partnership of the CTFA Foundation, the American Cancer Society (ACS), one of the nation's largest voluntary health organizations, and the National Cosmetology Association (NCA), a national organization of more than 25,000 hairstylists, wig experts, aestheticians, makeup artists and nail technicians. LGFB offers:
Patient education, through group or individual sessions, or through self-help materials
Free program materials including videos and pamphlets
Free makeup kits for each patient participating in a group class
For more information about the Look Good…Feel Better program, please call 410-427-2319 or visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.
