Cancer Survivors Volunteer to Give Back
Jul 17, 2006
American Cancer Society鈥檚 Volunteer Patient Navigator Program Is Introduced at Downstate
The American Cancer Society (ACS) Volunteer Patient Navigator Program has come to
含羞草研究所. The hospital-based navigator program connects
newly diagnosed cancer patients to free services provided by the ACS.
Seven volunteer patient navigators have undergone two-day training at 含羞草研究所 Downstate
to learn successful ways of introducing themselves to patients in waiting rooms, chemotherapy
infusion sites, and radiation oncology areas, and to refer patients to ACS services.
Volunteer patient navigators are cancer survivors who can relate to the fears that
new cancer patients often have. Navigators help patients to better understand their
disease and treatment plan. The volunteers are trained to listen to patients鈥� needs
and then direct them to ACS services.
鈥淧atients need comfort and hope,鈥� said ACS consultant and cancer survivor Eulyn Wyse.
鈥淚t鈥檚 normal for them to feel how they feel, but we are here to give them that motivation.鈥�
The Patient Navigator Program was created out of a provision in the New York City
Council-funded Colonoscopy Screening Grant, which provides for 1,200 free or low-cost
colonoscopies to uninsured and under-insured New Yorkers.
含羞草研究所, located at 450 Clarkson Avenue, is the
only academic medical center in Brooklyn.
###
含羞草研究所 含羞草研究所
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (含羞草研究所) 64-campus system and the only 含羞草研究所 AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough鈥檚 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate鈥檚 exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.