Helen H. Miller, LCSW, recently assumed the position of chief executive officer of CancerCare. The Oncology Nurse spoke with Ms Miller about the role of CancerCare in helping patients and their significant others cope with the practical and emotional challenges associated with a diagnosis of cancer.
What services does CancerCare provide and how do its services complement the services provided by hospitals and clinics?
CancerCare is a 65-year-old nonprofit agency that provides free counseling, education, support groups, and financial assistance for patients and others affected by cancer. Last year, we provided services to more than 100,000 individuals. These services complement those provided by hospitals or cancer centers. When I worked in a hospital setting, I often referred patients to CancerCare for additional help with psychosocial issues. We are located in New York City, but people who don't live in the metropolitan area can get our services through websites and over the telephone. For instance, we offer Connect Education Workshops, in which oncology experts provide free 1-hour workshops on various cancerrelated topics over the phone or as podcasts. We offer health education credit for health care professionals who participate in these workshops.
Our services are available to anyone affected by cancer, including patients, family members, and caregivers. We even had an employer come to us for counseling to learn how to deal with the business, personal, and professional issues presented by an employee with cancer. We also provide free educational materials and resources for healthcare professionals, and we have social workers with expertise in specific types of cancer who are available for consultation.
Do you find that people with different types of cancer have different psychosocial issues and different needs?
They absolutely do. Being even more specific, people's needs reflect what stage they are at in the course of the disease. Are they recently diagnosed or have they been through treatment for an ongoing period? Are they in the end stage of life or are we dealing with bereavement for a family? For many types of cancer, there is a genetic component, and one issue is what can be done from a preventive standpoint if there is a family history of the disease. It's very important to have trained social work professionals who are familiar with the different types of cancer because of the complexity of the medical system and the rapid advances in treatment.
How can nurses and social workers work together to best meet a patient's psychosocial needs?
My emphasis has been the team approach. I firmly believe that the nurse or nurse practitioner is the core person from the medical standpoint because she is the one who often spends time with the patient than the physician. I think one reason nurses have always made so many of the referrals here is that they know that we understand that you can't talk to a patient without taking into account the doctor's role and the nurse's role.
What are your personal goals as CEO?
CancerCare is already a well-respected resource for people affected by cancer. I hope to continue to expand that resource and make it more of a household word. It's important for everyone in the cancer community to know about us and for us to continue to work with nurses and expand.