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Questions? Call Nurse Navigator
Our SFCC Nurse Navigator is an experienced nurse who is available to meet with you and help explain your specific cancer diagnosis and options for treating it. Additionally, your nurse will help to facilitate communication between you, your family, and members of your care team, as well as locate community resources to assist you as you go through cancer treatment. Many individuals have stated how comforting it is to have a nurse navigator to be able to go to for any concern.
Support Groups
Peer support groups are an excellent way for you to get the additional support needed during cancer treatment. The American Cancer Society has more for information on support groups specific to types of cancer, age range, gender, and other unique characteristics.
If you require services you don’t see listed here, don’t hesitate to contact any member of your interdisciplinary treatment team for help.
Palliative Care Services
Palliative Care can provide numerous benefits for patients, their families and caregivers.
- Helps you understand your disease process, prognosis and your current plan of care
- Clarifies goals and treatment options
- Offers guidance for difficult and complex medical decisions
- Provides you with adequate time to discuss and address complex medical decisions
- Optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering by addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs
- Helps coordinate your care with your multiple healthcare providers and improves communication
Pastoral Care Services and Chaplain Associates
The UPMC Western Maryland pastoral care team includes two full-time chaplains and provides spiritual services to individuals of all religions and spiritual beliefs. The pastoral care team at UPMC Western Maryland is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Prayer Partners also visit the SFCC to offer support and prayer while you are receiving treatment. Pastoral care is also available if you are receiving services at home or hospice care, which can be highly beneficial for you and your family facing end-of-life care and decisions.
Social Workers
The SFCC has two licensed social workers on staff, both available to serve as your advocates and are an essential part of our interdisciplinary team. Social workers help you access education and services related to your cancer treatment, the social workers will act as advocates for you with community organizations, other healthcare staff, families, and more.
Examples of some of the services they may provide include helping you find transportation to and from treatments, resources to pay for treatment, and assisting you in developing better coping techniques for dealing with stress. They are here to serve your families as well.
Nutrition Services
Good nutrition helps you to keep up your strength and energy, preserve healthy body tissue, fight infection, and deal with the side effects of treatment. A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) will meet with you to assess your nutritional needs and develop a diet plan so you get the right nourishment. Your diet plan will be created specifically for you and may be changed as your needs change throughout your treatment and recovery process.
Hospice Services
Hospice Services are available through the UPMC Western Maryland, and SFCC, to help meet the needs of you and your family. Care is provided with a belief that dying is a natural process. Hospice seeks to affirm life by enhancing the dignity and quality of your life.
Financial Support Department
As part of UPMC Western Maryland, the SFCC provides services to all of our patients, regardless of your ability to pay. A SFCC reimbursement specialist will meet with you if you are concerned about paying for care. Depending on the financial situation, financial assistance may be available. Typical eligibility requirements include lack of health insurance, low income, or refusal of your health insurance provider to pay for care the SFCC has deemed medically necessary.
A financial support worker will explain the guidelines for financial assistance, as well as your rights and responsibilities as a part of the SFCC. We are proud to meet or exceed the amount of patient financial assistance required by the state of Maryland, which the federal government establishes on an annual basis.