Tri-Cities cancer patients get help ‘navigating’ their treatments, thanks to donations

Tri-Cities patients getting some of the newest types of cancer treatment will get help to ease their way through care.

The Kadlec Regional Medical Center and the Tri-Cities Cancer Center foundations are teaming up to pay an oncology nurse to serve as a patient navigator for a new set of patients.

Many patients now receive immunotherapy or chemotherapy treatments that are taken by mouth.

Side effects can be similar or even more extensive than more traditional intravenous chemotherapy, said Jessica Lukson, director of oncology services for Kadlec at the cancer center in Kennewick.

Unlike intravaneous chemotherapy or radiation patients, they may not be making as frequent visits for treatment where they see nurses and doctors who can offer then help and advice.

The new patient navigator for the Tri-Cities Cancer Center and Kadlec Hematology and Oncology, based at the center, will be available with support and expertise for oral chemotherapy patients.

“There are so many things you don’t anticipate” as a cancer patient, said Jennifer Ollero, a former cancer patient and vice president of the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation.

When she was diagnosed in 2015, she relied on a breast cancer nurse navigator for guidance through numerous surgeries and to find naturopathy help for side effects of chemotherapy, she said.

The nurse navigator also connected her to the cancer center’s Warrior Sisterhood, which offers fellowship and monthly support meetings for younger women cancer patients and survivors.

A nurse navigator also can help arrange transportation to appointments and treatment, navigate insurance coverage, help with prescriptions available from specialty pharmacies and find help for side effects, both emotional and physical.

“Patients receive support and education throughout the treatment process, allowing them to focus their energy on their recovery,” Lukson said.

Health outcomes are improved if the nurse navigator can help the patient stay consistent on their treatment plan, she said.

Foundations collaborate

Each of the two foundations is donating about $100,000 to pay for the first two years of the nurse navigator program for patients undergoing oral chemotherapy.

Currently there are about 200 patients who could be served by the new nurse navigator.

Kadlec and the cancer center already have a patient support team that includes nurse navigators for breast cancer, colorectal and general tumor patients, plus social workers and a chaplain.

The Kadlec and cancer center foundations are working jointly to add the oral chemotherapy nurse navigator as cancer services offered by both organizations are being integrated.

Last year Kadlec became the sole member of the nonprofit Tri-Cities Cancer Center, which was once a joint organization of the Richland, Kennewick and Lourdes hospitals.

Changes were made after Trios Health in Kennewick and Lourdes Health in Pasco were purchased by for-profit LifePoint Health and discussions about how they could be members of a nonprofit cancer center were not successful. Kadlec is part of the nonprofit Providence Health.

This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.