Fast Fact - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Cancer survivor Debra Groomes(forefront) developed a bondwith Whittier social worker ZinahAbukhalil-Quiñonez. With themis DFCI oncologist Ken Miller.Fast FactThe number of cancersurvivors in the UnitedStates is expected togrow from more than11 million in 2009 tosome 20 million by 2020.(Source: American Cancer Society)Dana-Farber in recent years to extend itsexpertise and programming to help survivorsof both adult and childhood cancerswho are living in rural, suburban, andurban settings throughout New England.“The mission of our Community-Based Collaborative is to provide care andsupport to cancer survivors where theylive and work,” says Kenneth Miller, MD,director of the LAF Adult SurvivorshipClinic and co-director of the Perini FamilySurvivors’ Center at Dana-Farber withLisa Diller, MD. “Through our partnershipwith Whittier Street Health Center,we have been able to develop a model ofsurvivorship care that meets the culturalneeds of its diverse population and, mostimportantly, provides access to high-qualitycancer survivorship services within thewalls of a community health center.”The Whittier clinic has been steadilybooked each month and has served patientsranging from age 40 to 75. Observers attributeits success to a strong staffing model thatincludes a nurse, social worker, and two casemanagers; enthusiastic support from thecenter’s leadership; and alternating morningand evening clinic hours. They also creditthe work of Dana-Farber staff, includingnurse Richard Boyajian, RN, MS, APN,social worker Amy Grose, LICSW, administratorMaureen Flynn, and others who haveprovided ongoing training and guidance.“It’s been a really strong collaboration,”says Alma Petrovic, MD, MPH, formerdirector of public health initiatives atWhittier. “The staff at Dana-Farber havebeen very flexible, and we really understandeach other.”For breast cancer survivor DebraGroomes, the Roxbury survivorshipclinic provides a convenient and welcomingplace to discuss her medical andemotional concerns and ask questionswithout feeling rushed. She has receivedliterature, met with various providers,and attended a support group of survivorsfacing different cancers. That group“made it more comfortable for me toshare,” the 51-year-old says. “I knewI wasn’t alone with this.”For more information about cancersurvivorship at Dana-Farber, visitwww.dana-farber.org/survivorship.COMMUNITY BENEFITS 23