Cancer Support Community ramping up efforts to help patients, families
This year has been quite a period of growth and evolution for the nonprofit Cancer Support Community of Central Washington, which was formerly called Wellness Place.
Marissa, the organization’s executive director, said becoming an affiliate of a larger cancer support network has created opportunities for more effectively serving cancer patients and their families. It also meant that the nonprofit conforms to the standards of the Cancer Support Community network, such as having all support groups being facilitated by licensed mental health professionals.
One of the benefits of the name change and becoming part of a larger network is that the new name of the organization makes it abundantly clear to everyone what the nonprofit is all about. When it was Wellness Place, it wasn’t clear to folks in the community exactly what the organization was focusing on. “I feel like I’m not fighting so hard to be a relevant partner,” said Collins, who is a breast cancer survivor herself.
The nonprofit’s board of directors identified as a priority providing more support groups, education and physical activities as well as better serving historically underserved communities. In rural parts of North Central Washington, the support system for cancer patients is awfully thin. Cancer Support Community of Central Washington is attempting to fill that void.
The organization has been one of a few cancer support groups in the region. When people are first diagnosed with cancer, they often find their way to CSC Central Washington for assistance. Besides support groups, they provide education, healthy living programs and care essentials for treatment, such as gas cards for those who must travel long distances for care and wigs for hair loss.
A cancer diagnosis is one of our society’s most intimidating challenges. Coming alongside others who are going through treatment and facing similar challenges is a noble purpose. They’re providing services so no one has to fight cancer alone.
Thanks to their affiliation with cancer support communities in the United States and Canada, participants can get access to a wide range of services and information to help navigate their cancer journey.
CSC Central Washington maintains its independent nonprofit status while providing additional resources because of the network.
Collins said joining the larger network made intuitive sense to the board. “We loved the fact that we could keep our independence as a nonprofit and continue serving locally while having these (additional) resources,” Collins told me.
Rather than figuring everything out in isolation, the board made the prudent decision to supercharge their offerings with the larger network. They’ve expanded their support groups – including a caregiver circle, added a monthly education series and creative arts workshop, and are looking at other support groups to address bereavement and the concerns of families.
Following in the footsteps of other cancer support communities elsewhere, she envisions the opportunity to develop unique social groups, such as a knitting circle, cycling group or coffee meetups.
“We’ve been able to add a lot more programs and do it with really credible information and models that have been successful elsewhere,” said Collins.
One additional service is that cancer patients can access a national help line, CSC-867-5309, which is easily remembered from the Tommy Tutone song, Jenny. That phone number helps people find drug trials, specific guidance for the cancer they are dealing with, for example. Another benefit of the affiliation is that patients can create their own webpage, invite their families and friends to access it, and keep people up to date on their progress. Collins said there is also a text-based nutritionist available to provide guidance.
Financially, CSC Central Washington is busy rebuilding its coffers. That’s where community support can help. They’ve got a fundraising event coming up on Sept. 11, called Central Washington Cancer Heroes. You can buy tickets to the event at cscccentralwa.org and support this worthy organization.
Here’s a tip of the hat to Marissa, her staff and the rest of the board for their willingness to think outside the box and create a more effective support system for cancer patients. Let’s dig deep and help support cancer patients and families in our region.
