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What is Neuro Oncology Navigation?
For cancer survivors diagnosed with a central nervous system tumor, they can face an overwhelming amount of health information. Navigators are specially trained nurses and healthcare professionals who provide guidance and support for patients in their families through the health system. Navigators partner with patients and their caregivers by helping them understand their treatment plan and the services that are available to empower them when making healthcare choices. Navigators helped simplify information by educating patients and their caregivers with one-on-one sessions and take time to address questions and concerns. Navigators help identify healthcare and community resources to remove the best outcomes for each individual patient.
What types of support does a neuro navigator offer?
• Education on treatment plans possible side effects and clinical trials
• Help to identify healthcare and community resources
• Access to support groups and classes
• Advocacy for patients and caregivers
For more information, please call 207-662-2297.
Sara Cox, BSN, CNRN has worked in Neuroscience since 2013 and is currently Supervisor to the Neuroscience Patient Navigator team at Maine Medical Center in Portland. She is also the Spine Program Manager and serves as liaison to the Joint Commission for Maine Medical Center’s Comprehensive Spine Certification. Sara facilitates many multi-disciplinary projects for complex neuroscience patient populations, including a support group (see next), and is the primary patient navigator for Neuro Oncology patients. She is energized by the possibilities of innovation in every form along the healthcare spectrum and finds improving small details in clinical care to widespread programmatic shifts equally rewarding. Outside of work, Sara is a mom, musician, yogi and entrepreneur. She loves spending time in the great Maine outdoors, cooking, and working with humans who love working with humans.
A few of Sara’s impressive accomplishments include:
• Redesigned the traditional hospital gown specifically for Neuroscience patients. More info HERE.
• Received 1st place for Operational Excellence at MMC for a team project "Coordination of Inpatient and Outpatient Care for Neurology Patients Undergoing Epilepsy Monitoring".
• Developed and helped to run an interdisciplinary research project studying post op urinary retention in males ages 50-85 having spine surgery. The DRIPS study took 4 years to complete and had over 600 participants. Results to be published.
• Guest Speaker addressing 2024 American Brain Tumor Annual Conference
• Guest Speaker addressing NIH/NCI conference on addressing the unmet needs of adolescent young adult (AYA) patients with CNS tumors in October, 2024.
