Patient Navigation

Navigators are priceless! I am fortunate at my hospital to work with one and she is invaluable to both the patients and physicians. She is an active participant in our multidisciplinary conferences, tumor boards, and cancer committee meetings, and often is able to provide the docs with additional insight into the patient's physical, mental/emotional, and social situations - information that we might not otherwise have - and information that allows us to take better care of our patients as we gain a better understanding about what they are going through. The primary responsibilities for the navigator depends on the setting that he/she is working in. It is a relative new position and was started to address disparities in breast cancer. Dr. Harold Freeman from the Ralph Lauren Breast Center For Cancer Care and Prevention (in Harlem) is one (if not the first) person to identify the need for this position. He has founded an online patient navigation training program and for information you can check out their website....info@hpfreemanpni.org. In 2009 they had an Institute to train navigators and I was lucky enough to attend,
it was an amazing learning experience and Dr. Freeman is very dedicated to the cause. If you google Dr. Freeman you can read about the history about navigation and the studies that he based his research on.

I know that patient navigation has caught on beyond breast cancer. At Columbia Presbyterian there are navigators working with colon cancer patients and also in the ER. I know of many hospitals in the city that have navigators and many of the position are grant based positions. There can be different types of navigators...I am a lay navigator (a trained survivor) and there are also nurse navigators too, they are often called case managers.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the position...I have found it to be an amazing career and just what I needed after dealing with my own breast cancer journey.

I just answered the question, "Why Every Cancer Survivor Should Have Access to a Patient Navigator" on my website, WhereWeGoNow.com, (http://ht.ly/5kBqI) I'll reprint it here:

How do I love my patient navigator? Let me count the ways. I’ve sung the praises of my breast nurse navigator, Sarah Mandel, RN, LSW, CBPN-C, many times in various posts. She came into my life the day after my mastectomy – and with her came the slow bloom of emotional recouperation. I’d like to share what a patient navigator, and specifically a breast nurse navigator does, and why that person will become your absolute best friend in the world.

According to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital, the breast nurse navigator “is a dedicated, trained professional with extensive knowledge of breast disease and the resources for women with breast cancer. As an advocate for the patient, she will:

1.Provide individualized attention to the patient to respond to her unique needs.
2.Provide medical information and education, as well as share knowledge regarding support services and resources
3.Schedule and coordinate appointments and follow up care, as well as track patients to ensure completion of the recommended treatment plan
4.Assist in eliminating barriers by identifying and referring patients to appropriate medical, social and community resources
5.Help explain medical terms and processes to the patient and her caregivers throughout the course of treatment and post treatment
6.Locate services that can help the patient and her caregivers deal with the stress of a cancer diagnosis
Sarah was the first person I met who understood what I was going through and with whom I could be totally honest. I was able to rely on her completely, without worrying about how that would affect her, as I did with family and friends. It was so comforting to know I didn’t have to carry that burden alone anymore.

Sarah gave me her cell phone number! I didn’t call it everyday, mind you. But when I needed her, she was literally there for me. One day she answered her phone and I launched into my problem. After a few minutes, I realized I wasn’t being considerate and asked if she was busy. She admitted she was eating lunch! We agreed she would call me back, which she quickly did and we laughed about how she was trying to listen to me while quietly chewing her pizza.

Each time I discussed a medical issue with Sarah, she surprised me with the question “Do you want me to make a call for you?” I never called her for that reason. I guess I’m so used to doing things myself that, even after the first time she called a doctor’s office for me, I was still surprised when she offered to do it again. But feeling surprised was the least of it – mostly I was relieved that I could hand the issue over to her capable hands and have one less burden to carry.

Sarah called me too, on a regular basis, just to check up on me. Hearing her voice, I always knew she truly cared. And she didn’t limit her assistance to what she alone brought to the table. She showered me with reading material, resources and other support services. She is a one-woman resource library.

Every cancer patient should have access to a patient navigator. I liken it to bobbing up and down in a tiny boat while the troubled waters of cancer threaten your very survival. Shouldn’t every person who has to sit in that boat have a navigator to help guide them over those waters and into safe harbor? Sarah is that person for me, and I am truly grateful to her and Overlook Hospital for being there every time I need it.

The term patient navigator is new. It was started by Dr. Harold Freeman after a study showed racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes. Navigators should be able to offer guidence through the health system.

There are different types of navigators, some have experience in the financial end while others like myself have experience with providing general and emotional support.

It is really up to the patient. If a patient wants me to work with their family I am happy to.

If a caregiver reached out to me I would still have to get permission from the patient. This is all based on the privacy laws aka "hippa".

The services offered by the navigavor would be on a case by case basis depending on the need. The navigator could meet with the patient and/or the caregiver to assess the needs. The next step would to develop a plan. It is really up to the patient. If a patient wants me to work with their family I am happy to.

If a caregiver reached out to me I would still have to get permission from the patient. This is all based on the privacy laws aka "hippa".

The services offered by the navigavor would be on a case by case basis depending on the need. The navigator could meet with the patient and/or the caregiver to assess the needs. The next step would to develop a plan.

Well I can only speak to my position at NYP. We are hippa trained and understand the need for confidentiality. This is the same level of privacy held by the doctors and nurses. Well I can only speak to my position at NYP. We are hippa trained and understand the need for confidentiality. This is the same level of privacy held by the doctors and nurses.

The hardest part of being a patient navigator is not being able to give patients what that need ....the recession has affected the hospital too.

Some examples of this would be that I do not have enough wigs and prosthesis to give to patients.

The second hardest part of my job is working with people at such an emotional time....being a survivor helps me deal with this. The hardest part of being a patient navigator is not being able to give patients what that need ....the recession has affected the hospital too.

Some examples of this would be that I do not have enough wigs and prosthesis to give to patients.

The second hardest part of my job is working with people at such an emotional time....being a survivor helps me deal with this.