Social Work

Social workers are available to assist with both emotional and practical support once a patient has been diagnosed with cancer.  We offer counseling to help improve communication with family members and friends, as a new diagnosis and treatment can lead to many changes.  We also offer practical assistance, including linking patients to community financial resources and/or grants potentially available.

• We assist patients in establishing mental health care or medication management with community providers, as needed.
• We contact patients referred to psycho-oncology to complete intake assessments and assist with any needed referrals.
• We help educate patients about the clinic’s supportive care services that are available.
• We manage a list of support groups for both West and in the community, to provide the most inclusive list to our patients.
• We facilitate two support groups: Women with Wings and Caring for Caregivers.
• We are available to make contact patients who are found to be distressed in the clinic, on the phone, or scoring relatively high on screenings to conduct a psychosocial assessment to evaluate and address their needs.
• We work with non-compliant patients to help them engage potential social supports who can act as resources and accountability. We help identify and address any barriers to compliance, when possible.
• We provide emotional support for family members and/or caregivers who are struggling to balance responsibilities or the reality of a patient’s diagnosis.
• We provide education to nurses and other staff members about psychosocial issues.
• We coordinate with various members of the treatment team to advocate for the patient and help facilitate the best outcomes possible for each patient.
• We provide social work services free of charge.

For more information about West Cancer Center’s social work department, please contact [email protected].