Whole Person Care

The importance of cancer support services

Going through cancer treatment can be tough on a patient’s body—and mind. Side effects of medication and the uncertainty of what’s to come can be a lot to handle. At Henry Ford Health, we care for the whole person in pursuit of healthy minds, healthy bodies and healthy souls.

Whether a patient’s undergoing treatment or is a survivor, finding the right support services can make a meaningful difference. Each diagnosis is a personal experience, and each person will require different levels of support, which may change throughout their cancer journey from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship. Cancer support services we offer include:

• Psych-oncology: Behavioral health providers, specializing in cancer, provide care to patients dealing with the life-changing effects of cancer, either during or after treatment.
• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): Direct report from patients about their quality of life, symptoms or experience, using validated questionnaires. We are one of only a few centers in the world using PROMs as a true vital sign to further nurture patient-centered care.
• Nutrition services: Side effects of treatment can make it difficult to eat. Cancer dietitians are trained to work with the unique needs of those who have cancer.
• Exercise programs: ExCITE is a one-of-a-kind program that provides individualized exercise programs for cancer patients and survivors to increase stamina and strength and reduce fatigue.
• Integrative medicine: Therapies such as acupuncture, massage and meditation provide a more holistic approach to reduce psychological and physical side effects of treatment.
• Social workers: Licensed professionals who identify barriers to care to provide individualized support and resources to reduce those barriers and improve outcomes.
• Support groups: Licensed mental health professionals host support groups to create community and promote healing during the cancer journey.
• Financial counseling: The cost of medical treatment can be a huge stressor. Financial counselors provide education about expected costs and help identify resources to reduce the out-of-pocket burden of care on families.
• Speech language pathology (SLP): Treatments for cancer can impact the ability to speak and eat. Our SLPs specialize in supporting the unique needs of patients (i.e., head and neck cancer)
• Art and music therapy: Music and art programming create a healing environment, proven to reduce pain, anxiety and depression, for patients and their caregivers.

$2M gift names the Shari & Stanley Finsilver Family OncoStat

This generous and transformational gift supports our OncoStat program, which provides cancer patients same-day support for the side effects and symptoms of treatment, such as nausea, fatigue or dehydration. Patients can access real-time support through phone consultations, in-person visits at various locations or virtual appointments via Henry Ford MyChart. OncoStat’s team of oncology-trained advanced practice providers and nurses help fast track blood work, imaging tests and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and also provide medications, infusions or other treatments to help patients feel better as quickly and safely as possible.

OncoStat has proven to be a critical resource for cancer patients, and this new gift will have significant impacts on improving patient care, enabling us to expand the program to reach more patients when and where they need it most.