Patient navigators
Patient navigators act as personal guides for patients and their families. A patient navigator will contact City of Hope patients before their second visit with a City of Hope physician to direct them to services and resources here, such as interpreters, financial counselors and social workers. These trained professionals will provide patients with a single, human face — one person they know they can call when they have questions. The program soon will expand to all new incoming patients.
Patient Education
The Patient & Family Resource Desk, currently on the first floor of the Geri and Richard Brawerman Center for Ambulatory Care, features educational booklets, magazines, lists of local cancer resources and two computer terminals with Internet access to reliable sources of health information and community resources. The resource desk may be reached at 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 63971.
The Patient & Family Learning Center, located in the Main Medical Building, features a growing library of books and videos on cancer topics, from coping with the loss of a loved one to exploring spirituality. To reach the learning center, please call 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 62682.
Hope Notes, a bimonthly newsletter for patients and family members, offers information from City of Hope physicians and updates on events. It is available at the Guest Services Desk, the Patient & Family Resource Desk and in racks throughout the Medical Center.
When the Biller Resource Center opens, it will house these existing materials as well as new ones, offering easy access to comprehensive educational resources.
City of Hope also offers ongoing, free community education programs, such as "Ask the Experts" sessions, where health-care experts address important medical issues.
In addition, City of Hope's user-friendly Guide to Patient and Family Services is available for patients and family members to answer questions about what to expect when receiving treatment at City of Hope. Guides are available to inpatients in their hospital rooms, while outpatients receive their guides from New Patient Services.
Support and counseling
City of Hope health professionals take great care to make sure that patients and their family members get the psychological, social and emotional support they need. Currently, health professionals screen all inpatients to help patients and their families who may benefit from additional emotional and social support. Screening also will expand to outpatients.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, spiritual care providers and pain physicians work together to serve as a lifeline for patients. They can assist patients experiencing pain, as well as the anxiety, depression, isolation and the turbulence that accompanies an unexpected diagnosis and serious illness. Social workers also can share practical information such as how to locate lodging and transportation during treatment; they also can link patients and families to interpreters, if needed.
Please call 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 62282 to reach the Clinical Social Work office.
City of Hope strives to provide service that exceeds patients’ expectations and those of their families. A patient advocate is available to patients if they feel their physical, emotional or spiritual needs are not being met. Patient advocates assist patients and their families by facilitating communication with staff and resolving issues of concern. Patients or family members may reach the patient advocate office at 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 62285.
Support groups
City of Hope offers support groups for patients with breast, blood, brain, prostate, kidney and other cancers. The Biller Resource Center will add new support groups for other cancer types, as well as for people with other specific needs, such as family caregivers and young adults with cancer. Support group meeting dates and times are available on the City of Hope calendar; for more information about these groups or to RSVP, please call 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 63971 or 626-256-8626. The center may also refer patients and families to community-based support groups.
Patient Peer Pals
Newly diagnosed patients may choose to be matched with City of Hope Patient Peer Pals, other patients who have already gone through the cancer experience. These volunteers can provide one-on-one support, answer questions and give reassurance.
Spiritual care
Many patients and their families rely on deeply held spiritual beliefs to help them through the difficulties of cancer treatment. To meet their unique spiritual needs, the Biller Resource Center will connect patients and their families with City of Hope’s Spiritual Care staff. These professionals are trained to provide supportive care that meets the needs of patients and families of all beliefs.
To reach Spiritual Care, please call Marilyn Paal at 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 63898.
End-of-life and bereavement support
Despite modern medicine’s advances, some patients inevitably lose their battle with cancer. City of Hope believes in helping patients reach the end of their lives with dignity and as comfortably as possible, while helping families and friends cope with grief and loss.
Child Life, Spiritual Care and Clinical Social Work staff members currently offer end-of-life services for patients and bereavement support for caregivers and families. City of Hope is widely known for providing sensitive end-of-life care; its Department of Nursing Research & Education leads the way nationally for research into improving such care for both patients and families.
When the Biller Resource Center opens, center staff will offer grief support services and bereavement support groups for family members. While the center itself will not offer palliative care to patients, center staff will help patients access such services at City of Hope.
Nutrition
Nutrition Services staff provide dietary care, education and counseling and help patients and their families make sense of the latest research to make informed food choices. Dietitians can assist with correcting nutritional deficiencies, minimizing treatment side effects, creating nutrition plans after treatment and more. Biller Resource Center staff can refer patients for such services.
Child Life Program
Experts in child development offer special services to children and teens undergoing cancer treatment. Whether they are inpatients or outpatients, boys and girls with cancer may be vulnerable to the stresses involved in therapy, illness and disruptions in family life. While in treatment, children may feel and look different from their peers and miss school and playtime with friends. Child life specialists restore a sense of normality to children’s lives and provide developmentally appropriate education and support while valuing the needs of parents and other family members.
Patient navigators can refer appropriate patients and their families for this service.
Healing arts programs
City of Hope understands that arts can lift the human spirit. Currently, Writing for Wellness workshops are offered throughout the year, giving participants the chance to express themselves through the written word. In addition, singers and musicians perform regularly through on-campus venues such as the Hands on Harps concerts. Performances and writing workshops are listed in the City of Hope calendar.
Expanded art and music programs, including art therapy and art workshops, are planned under the Biller Resource Center. Workshops aim to help patients and their families express emotions through creative outlets. Instructors will include specially trained professional artists and therapists.
Pet visitation
City of Hope’s Volunteer Services Department recently launched the pet visitation program. Spending time with dogs and other animals can be a profoundly comforting experience for people facing life-threatening illnesses; animals may help patients feel safe, unconditionally accepted and at home in a hospital setting that may otherwise feel foreign.
Professionals screen patients to ensure that a pet visit will not compromise health and recovery, and the animals and handlers undergo training to work with people who are seriously ill. Patients receive information on pet visitation when they are admitted. Biller Resource Center staff will refer patients and families with questions about pet visitation to Volunteer Services. Currently, only pediatric patients receive pet visits; the program may later expand to adults.
Positive Image Center
Oftentimes, a few tips and some understanding guidance are all cancer patients need to feel more confident about their self-image during treatment. The Positive Image Center offers makeup and skin care products and advice, children’s items, and a line of hats, scarves and alternatives for hair loss, such as wigs. The center is located near the lobby of the Main Medical Building (through the entrance by the Spirit of Life fountain). To find out more or to make an appointment, please call 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 63842.
Patient Web sites
With a few clicks of the mouse and strokes of a computer keyboard, City of Hope patients and their families can keep friends up to date with their progress. Patients can create their own CarePages free of charge. Patients and members of their support network can use CarePages to upload photos, write blogs and communicate on message boards. To create a CarePage click here. Help is available at support@carepages.com or 888-852-5521.
Other Services
Complementary medicine
A cancer diagnosis sometimes can make patients feel helpless and lost. In addition, cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy can have uncomfortable side effects. As a result, many patients seek out complementary therapies as a way to take control of their well-being and improve their quality of life.
Herb and supplement information
Some patients turn to herbs, vitamins and homeopathic remedies to boost health and alleviate cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, but certain herbal products and supplements may interfere with treatment or even pose dangerous interactions with cancer drugs. City of Hope physicians can access several databases offering a wealth of information about herbal products and supplements, allowing them to better answer patients' questions and avoid drug interactions. Patients who have questions about alternative medications or supplements are suggested to discuss them with their physician.
Massage and acupuncture
City of Hope health professionals will offer therapies proven to improve quality of life without compromising the effectiveness of medical treatments. These therapies are not yet offered, but in the future, Biller Resource Center staff aim to offer services in acupuncture, which may help ease treatment side effects, and massage, which may promote relaxation and stress reduction.
In addition, researchers working through the Biller Resource Center are assessing health-care professionals' attitudes about and knowledge of complementary therapies. They plan to study complementary therapies’ impact on patients’ well-being — studies they will share with medical professionals worldwide.
Mind-body therapies
City of Hope respects patients’ capacity to learn and care for themselves, as well as their ability to improve their well-being and overall health. Although mind-body therapies are not yet offered at Biller Resource Center, staff plan to offer access to these therapies in the future to cultivate peace of mind, hope and healing. Among such practices:
Meditation: Meditation can reduce stress and improve concentration. Patients who practice meditation may feel more relaxed, in control and better able to cope with the challenges of cancer treatment.
Guided imagery: Using the power of suggestion, guided imagery is particularly useful for relieving stress and can help patients relax, accept treatment and feel calmer and more in control.
Guided movement: Yoga, tai chi and other forms of gentle exercise help patients maintain or regain physical strength while relieving stress. Instructors will tailor exercise for the needs of people with cancer.