Program creates partnership of Allina oncology patients and advocates
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avigating medical procedures and the health care system can sometimes be confusing, overwhelming, and frustrating. And facing it with a cancer diagnosis adds another level of stress. That’s why Allina Health developed the Oncology Nurse Navigation Program, pairing seasoned and informed health care professionals, called navigators, with patients throughout their treatment and recovery. It’s a program at Allina that dates back to the 1990s. But it has expanded its focus and care recently, says Jessica Quinlan-Woodward, manager of the program and previously a navigator herself. “It’s sort of like a bike wheel. The patient and navigator are in the center, and the services are the spokes radiating out.” Navigators are trained to know all things cancer-related in the Allina system. She describes the navigators as “sherpas … in service to the patients.” The navigators also act as advocates, educators, allies, and even as reassuring therapists when needed. “It’s scary when you don’t know what to expect,” Quinlan-Woodward says, but that’s where the navigators can share past experiences and explain complex treatment options. The partnerships can last months or even decades, Quinlan-Woodward says, for patients going through multiple treatments, or if health concerns return.
“Our team is always there and ready to reenage should the patient want to connect,” she says. “They tell them, ‘I’m always here, and you have my number.’” While several other health care systems have similar patient-focused programs, the process and size differ. For Allina, there are 28 navigators across all areas of cancer care, including eight oncology nurse navigators (ONNs) who work specifically with breast cancer patients. “In the regional settings like Cambridge, Hastings, and New Ulm, our ONNs care for breast patients as well, but they also care for the other cancer types.” For Quinlan-Woodward and her team of oncology nurses, caring for people when they are in need is motivating. “Once you work in oncology, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else,” she says. She is encouraged by the advances she has seen in health care, as well as in the program she supervises. “I am very hopeful, every year that passes, there are new advances in medicine so that people living with cancer now can be optimistic.” –Amy Nelson
‘A Matter of Time’
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reast cancer runs wide and deep in my family. It was just a matter of time,” Beth Erickson says. It may seem like a cavalier sentiment about a life-changing diagnosis, but Erickson knew what she was up against most of her life. The daughter of a doctor and registered nurse—and herself a medical transcriptionist for decades—Erickson was fully immersed in the medical aspects of cancer. Because Erickson’s maternal grandmother died from breast cancer and her mother had a mastectomy when she was about 60, Erickson, now 63, was participating in a high-risk program through Piper Center at Abbott Northwestern. As part of that program, she got genetic testing and started mammograms and other examinations every six months nearly 10 years ago. Those semi-annual procedures weren’t pleasant, she admits. And when the cancer diagnosis finally
came in June, the no-fuss Erickson felt more resignation than dread. Always prepared and with a theme song of Matthew Wilder’s “Break My Stride” to support her, she invited friends to a Beth Breast pre-operation party at one of her favorite neighborhood restaurants this spring. She asked guests to design her reconstruction breast tattoos, eat from breastthemed dishes, talk about their ta-tas. In July, Erickson had a five-hour mastectomy surgery. She says it went well and she was ready to talk a few weeks later. She also has been posting about her journey on her social media channels so friends and family can stay updated. Her background prepared her for the diagnosis. Her pragmatic personality helped her with the pain (yes, there was some) and the preparations. Her main advice: “Get tested.” For more of Beth Erickson’s interview, visit minnesotamonthly.com. –Amy Nelson
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Minnesota Breast Cancer Patient Was Part of High-Risk Program
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