New Backus program to help women with abnormal mammograms
Rose Gerber |
If you want to help:Gifts to the Backus Foundation's Annual Fund help sustain vital programs like The Backus Breast Health Patient Navigator Program. This program builds on Backus Hospital's commitment as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program, which makes the latest technology, treatment and education available to patients, close to home. To contribute to the annual fund, use the envelope in this issue, call Lee McLallen, Associate Director of Annual Giving, at 823-6536 or e-mail lmclallen@wwbh.org or give online by clicking here. |
As a cancer survivor, Rose Gerber said an advocate dedicated to patients facing an abnormal mammogram or diagnosed with breast cancer would be invaluable.
"When you are first diagnosed, you are so overwhelmed, and you often don't know the right questions to ask," Mrs. Gerber said. "A patient navigator can direct you to the resources that you need."
Backus Hospital is launching a Breast Health Patient Navigator Program for precisely that reason: to help guide patients through what can be a complicated healthcare system at frightening times in their lives.
Four years ago, Mrs. Gerber was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. She had a lump removed from her breast and her lymph nodes removed. She was put on a clinical trial of Herceptin, a biological therapy, after chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
"You deal with so many specialists at the beginning, and when you have questions you aren't sure who to ask," she said. "Having the consistency of one person to ask questions and guide you will be very comforting for patients and their families," she said.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women, affecting one in eight. Connecticut ranks third in incident rates, behind Washington and Oregon. Approximately 12,000 women in Norwich and the surrounding area are screened annually through mammograms at Backus.
Joyce Kuusela, RN, recently returned from a four-day intensive training course on becoming a breast health patient navigator. The training included learning about the anatomy of the breast, different types of breast diseases, benign breast conditions, hormones, diagnostic breast changes and more.
"A big part of the program was learning how to navigate a woman through the healthcare continuum from the time of detection to diagnosis, with counseling, providing educational support and setting up appointments," she said. "Another aspect is weekly interdisciplinary conferences, with representation from radiology, surgery, medical and radiation oncology and pathology to present each case and collectively decide on a care plan. The patient navigator role would be to help the patient carry that plan out until a definitive diagnosis is made."
The program is expected to begin by mid-November. This program is just one piece of the hospital's overall Breast Health Center Program initiative.