Patient Navigators are City of Hope staff members who provide personalized guidance, support and assistance to patients and their families. These trained professionals help patients and their families negotiate complex health care systems and make use of the services that are needed to receive the best possible care.
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. Patient navigators remain available throughout the patients' entire experience at City of Hope.
Education equips patients and families with the knowledge and skills they need to take an active role in their own care. City of Hope doctors, nurses and other health professionals provide one-to-one teaching to help patients and families partner in care as inpatients, outpatients and at home.
Educational classes and workshops are offered to help patients and their families learn about a variety of topics in order to better equip them during their treatment - topics such as eating well during cancer treatment, preparing for chemotherapy and managing pain and other symptoms. Additionally, patients and families will find a comprehensive library, in the Biller Patient and Family Resource Center, of books, booklets and brochures related to all aspects of cancer, treatment, coping and caregiving. More information can be found at the Community Resource Information web site.
The Biller Patient and Family Resource Center 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.
City of Hope offers patient groups and caregiver support groups as well as a number of diagnosis-specific groups including breast, lung, kidney, prostate and brain.The Biller Resource Center will add new support groups for other cancer types, as well as for people with other specific needs, such as young adults with cancer. Support group meeting dates and times are available on the Patient and Family Support Services calendar; for more information about these groups or to RSVP, please call 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 3CARE (32273). The center may also refer patients and families to community-based support groups.
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.
The mission of Supportive Care, Pain and Palliative Medicine is to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and their families by providing a comprehensive, holistic, innovative and interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of suffering and symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment. If you or your loved one is experiencing pain or other distressing symptoms, please talk to your physician or health care provider for a referral.
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 626-256-HOPE (4673), ext. 63898.
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 Division of Nursing Research & Education leads the way nationally for research into improving such care for both patients and families.
As part of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, the Biller Patient and Family Resource Center is helping to advance the practice of palliative care and ensuring supportive care medicine and maximum quality of life for all patients. Please speak to your physician for a referral.
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. Patients may speak to their physician for a referral.
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.
Biller Resource Center staff can refer appropriate patients and their families for this service.
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 and music therapies and 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.
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.
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.
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.