The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation committed $25M in funding to Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative to address health care disparities in cancer care and support. The Foundation partnered with the WVU Cancer Institute and the Cecil B. Highland, Jr. & Barbara B. Highland Cancer Center at United Hospital Center to develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative model of comprehensive, coordinated care to better meet the needs of lung cancer survivors and their caregivers.

 

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Cancer Institute and WVU Medicine to thoroughly address the issues that encompass all aspects of lung cancer survivors’ lives – physical, psychological, economic, and social,” Stephenie Kennedy, Ed.D., associate director for Cancer Prevention and Control and principal investigator for the program, said. “Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in West Virginia and one of the most commonly diagnosed, accounting for more than 18% of the newly diagnosed cancer cases each year, indicating a need for such services in our state.

 

Bridge Clinic Expansion to UHC

 

WVU Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention and Control began implementing the Bridge Program in Morgantown in March 2017, and recently United Hospital Center has become part of the Bridge Program offering expanded services to lung cancer patients.

"It has been an exciting opportunity to be part of this project with the WVU Cancer Institute, as a gap in care has been identified for the Lung Cancer Survivors of West Virginia," said Linda Carte, RN, MSN, AOCN, vice president of oncology and post-acute care at United Hospital Center. "While Lung Cancer survivors are the first to have the opportunity to participate in this bridge program, it is a model that can certainly be extended to all those surviving cancer to improve quality of life after diagnosis and treatment. We are looking forward to this ongoing collaboration to improve cancer care for the many communities we serve."

 

What Is the Bridge Program?

 

The goal of the WVU Cancer Institute and United Hospital Center’s Bridge Program is to improve the coordination of care and decrease the consequences of treatment for patients diagnosed with stage I, II, or III lung cancer after they complete treatment. Our clinics are designed to partner with the patient to provide a person-centered approach to survivorship care planning and to identify ongoing physical, social, emotional, and financial needs. We want to relieve any post-treatment issues and assist the patient to thrive beyond lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.

 

In addition to our monthly clinic, the Bridge Program also works to:

·        Lower the impact of lung cancer recurrence by promoting increased surveillance, increase provider knowledge of survivorship issues through podcasts and an annual Lung Cancer Conference, and

·        Educate the community at large, through social media, and promotion of community

 

What is The Bridge Clinic?

 

The Bridge Program brings together health care professionals from multiple disciplines to create a comprehensive care plan tailored to the specific needs of each patient.

 

During the half-day clinic, each patient has the opportunity to meet individually with a nurse practitioner, licensed social worker, dietician, psychiatrist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist.

 

Those Enrolled In the Program Will:

 

·        Meet with multiple care providers in a half-day clinic

·        Receive a comprehensive, person-centered survivorship plan on the day of attendance

·        Meet with other survivors and their families

·        Receive information on valuable resources to survivors of lung cancer

·        Have continued assistance from a program coordinator, who will ensure the needs identified in the survivorship plan are met

 

In the months following the clinic, the patient can expect follow-up communication from the program coordinator and additional assessments that are completed to ensure patient satisfaction and assistance with ongoing health concerns/needs.  

 

Editor;s Note: Pictured left is Linda Carte, RN, MSN, AOCN, vice president of oncology and post-acute care at UHC; Amber Shearer, RN, OCN, clinical navigator for lung cancer at UHC; and Sara Jane Gainor, MBA co-director of the WVU Cancer Institute Bridge Program