Cancer Care Navigation Training - Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

By JC Leahy

I'm excited that I have completed a training certificate in Cancer Patient Care Navigation with the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, This year’s training program was limited to 20 trainees – a diverse group of physicians, nutrition experts, therapists, patient care advocates, nonprofit professionals, and nurses.  The training program was crafted to prepare attendees to guide cancer patients from screening through recovery.

By 2015, the American College of Surgeons will require EVERY cancer center to have a patient care navigation program as a condition of accreditation.

 

With a unique focus on integrative health and holistic wellness, Smith Center’s Patient Navigation model and training program have grown to attract participants from across the country. This year’s group of 20 participants joined together from New York, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, California, and as far away as Hawaii.  The program lasted for 5 days, with most days training lasting a solid 13 hours. During the training, highly-regarded experts in oncology care, psychosocial support, complementary therapies, cancer survivorship, palliative care, nutrition, and stress reduction offered information and tools to navigators in an immersive retreat setting. The retreat environment is modeled after Smith Center's Weeklong Cancer Retreat Program, which has been at the core of the organization’s work since 1996. The training is also made up of a unique blend of didactic and experiential sessions that provides a comprehensive yet deep learning experience in the practice of integrative cancer care navigation. 

Footnote: cool quote from the Smith Center's Laura Pole's nutrition education: "You can't eat dogma."  

Free!! Cancer Care Advocacy Forum, Washington, DC, October 24, 2012

Cancer Care Advocacy Forum

October 24, 2012

Embassy Suites Hotel @ the Chevy Chase Pavilion4300 Military Road, NWWashington, DC  20015

Community Oncology Alliance and Vital Options International, Inc., are hosting a Cancer Care Advocacy Forum, in Washington, DC on October 24, 2012. This will be the first in a series of forums bringing to light, not only the challenges faced by cancer patients undergoing care, but also potential solutions to those very roadblocks to high quality, affordable cancer care.
REGISTRATION:  To register for this event, CLICK HERE!

What is the Cancer Care Advocacy Forum(s)?

With over 80% of cancer patients being treated in the community/private practice setting, special attention must be paid to the care issues that confront this vast patient population. These individuals are often unaware of current advocacy and public policy initiatives that may affect them, positively or negatively.

As should be, there is a great deal of focus on finding and advocating for the “cure” for cancer. What often gets lost in the process is the importance of advocating for the “care,” especially as the nation’s health care delivery is under increasing economic pressure. Current and future cancer patients are faced with financial, treatment access, and related issues that often increase the burden of simply fighting the disease. The Cancer Care Advocacy Forum will focus on issues linked to cancer “care”   with an emphasis on the care that is received in the community and private practice setting.  The day will bring together national cancer-related advocacy organizations to learn more about the pressing issues and concerns that these cancer patients face, as well as their physicians and nurses, through their treatment process and survivorship journey.  

The goals for the Cancer Care Advocacy Forum are:

• Increase awareness of the issues surrounding community-based cancer “care” among the national cancer advocacy community, including disease-specific and general cancer advocacy groups
• Provide national cancer advocacy organizations with great exposure to the entire cancer care delivery team housed within community oncology practices nationwide.
• Educate attendees about community cancer “care” issues and advocacy
• Raise awareness of cancer care advocacy opportunities and possibilities amongst individuals being treated in the community setting
• Launch an ongoing dialogue by employing social media and other methods surrounding “Advocating for the Care”

Cancer “Care” Issues to be discussed:

• Advocating for the “care” in the context of the “cure”
• Implications of the changing landscape of cancer care for patients
• How health care reform (following the Supreme Court decision) will affect cancer care
• Exchanges, essential benefits design, and over-all cancer care
• Patient cost sharing and co-payment obligations
• New therapy advances on the horizon
• Oncology provider work force forecasts and the future of cancer care
• What’s ahead on the public policy horizon
• Drug shortages and impact on treatment
• Impact to state Medicaid beneficiaries

• When

• Wednesday, October 24, 2012
  9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

• Where

• Embassy Suites Hotel at the Chevy Chase Pavilion
  4300 Military Road NW
  Washington, District of Columbia 20015

Scouting the Smith Center Vicinity for Parking

By JC Leahy

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts Cancer Care Navigation Training Is This Week!!

The Smith Center for Healing and the Arts is holding an educational seminar that lasts from this Wednesday through Sunday: September 19 through 23.  The topic is cancer patient care navigation.  I'm planning to attend.  I went to their site today to scope out the parking situation.  At first inspection, parking looks abysmal, but (as with most things in Life) having information in advance should make all the difference.

The Smith Center is located at 1623 U Street, NW, Washington, DC  20009.  This is essentially the southeastern corner of 17th and U Streets. Across the street, the block is occupied by Fire Department and Police facilities.  To the the west on U Street, it is residential.  To the east are small shops and eateries.  There is street parking only.  It costs $2.00 per hour if you can find a metered spot on a weekday, which I doubt. 

It looks like motorcycles are customarily parked on the sidewalks in this neighborhood, if you can find a spot that doesn't block pedestrian flow.  I happen to have a motorcycle, which I hesitate to ride in DC city traffic.  I used Garmin Mapsource to plot a motorcycle route from my home in Colesville, Maryland to the Smith Center. As I approached the Smith Center, I would be coming south on 16th Street.  If I broke left on Florida Avenue, then left on 17th Street, I would come into the 17th and U intersection at the right angle to veer onto the wheelchair ramp of the southeast corner, onto the sidewalk and into a little alcove right at the door of the Smith Center.  That's one possibility.

Another possibility for me would be to park at the 17th Street Army and Navy Club.  That would give me valet service for my car at $16 per day.  I would have to walk 1.1 miles north the the Smith Center.  Mapquest.com says this would take 26 minutes.  That's another possibility. (I hate riding a motorcycle in the city.)

The next alternative is public parking.  These are the nearest public parking locations, in ascending order of distance:

1. Camden Roosevelt Parking Garage, 2101 16th Street, NW, Wash., DC  20009, tel 866-797-5410 0.20 mi. $15 per day. Garage locked at all times. To gain access, call 202-265-4612 and an attendant will let you in.
2. Colonial Parking #700, 1711 Fla. Ave., NW, Washington, DC  20009, tel 202-295-8100 0.28 mi. $13 per day. Monday through Thursday 6:30 am till midnight. Friday 6:30 am till 4 am. Saturday noon until 4 am.  Closed Sundays.
3. Star Parking, 1900 CT Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20009, tel 202-387-0448 0.55 mi.
4. 14th Street LLC, 1736 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC  20009, tel 202-745-0185 0.57 mi.
5.  Las Parking Mid-Atlantic, Inc., 2001 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20009, tel 202-667-3030 0.63 mi
6. GPSI, 1914 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC  20009, tel 202-332-5406,  0.71 mi.

Another way to get to the Smith Center cancer care training would be by Metro.  In my case, I would probably park at the Red Line's Glenmont Station 5 miles from my home.  The nearest stations to 17th and U Streets NW are the U Street Station half a mile (5 blocks) to the east, or Dupont Circle 0.7 miles to the southwest of the Smith Center.  Metro has a pretty nice Metro Trip Planner for finding out how to get from point A to point B by Metro at any particular date at time.

Good luck!