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Newly diagnosed cancer patients can call Open to Options.

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By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer 6:44 PM Monday, January 30, 2012

KETTERING — A free help line designed to aid newly diagnosed cancer patients prepare for their first visit to an oncologist is up and running.

The service is associated with Cancer Support Western Ohio, the recently-opened Kettering facility that offers free holistic programming for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Jeanine Hufford, executive director of the Kettering operation, says those who have just been told they have cancer face a stressful time and some important decisions.

“They are often overwhelmed and don’t know what questions to ask the doctor,” she explains. “Often times that first visit to an oncologist is where treatment decisions get made, and many people aren’t prepared to make those decisions.”

The phone service, Open to Options, will put callers in touch with a licensed mental health professional who will help them formulate a list of specific questions that can be taken to the oncologist’s office and will help them make the best use of their time together.

Following the meeting, callers receive a personalized print-out of questions they can take with them to their doctor based on their specific concerns. They can call back the same counselor if they have additional questions, and their adviser will follow up after the doctor’s appointment to see if the phone advice was helpful.

The counselors, Hufford adds, are not there to provide a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation.

Vicki Kennedy, vice president of program development and delivery for the Cancer Support Community headquarters in Washington, D.C., is supervising the program and is taking many of the help line calls.

This service, she says, is just a first step. A national call center will officially launch in April and offer a broader range of short-term counseling options for cancer patients.

Specialists are being trained for the phones and for all of the 50 Cancer Support Community centers across the country, including Dayton’s. Those who prefer a face-to-face counseling session will be able to make an appointment at the Kettering location. The local facility serves 11 surrounding counties.

“Lots of people have access to the internet, but increasingly people are saying they want to talk to somebody,” Kennedy explains. “They are looking for help after diagnosis, they are looking for help with the stress and anxiety, and they want educational materials. They have increasing concerns about insurance and paying for medical care as well.”

The idea for the help line grew out of a research study from the Centers for Disease Control designed to see if patients with blood cancers could alleviate their stress and anxiety through the use of decision support counseling, and if the those sessions could lead to more productive meetings with their doctor.

“This isn’t just a random list of questions from the internet,” Kennedy says. “We’ll take callers through an interview process to help them identify their particular situation. For example, we might have a single mom who has just been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and is concerned about whether she’ll be able to continue working through her treatment.”

Those who have been diagnosed but who have not yet met with their oncologist can call the Open to Options line at (888) 793-9355.

You’ll be asked to leave your name and phone number. You will be called back to set up an appointment. The counseling session will take about 45 minutes and will be held between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a weekday.

All of the services at the Cancer Support Centers — yoga, acupuncture, tai chi and nutrition classes — are free of charge. The programs are supported by donations and grants and the goal is to ensure that no one faces cancer alone.

The area facility is located at 4801 Hempstead Station Drive, in Kettering. For more information, call (937) 223-4117 or toll free (888) 221-4004 Or see:  www.cancersupportwesternohio.org

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or MMoss@Dayton DailyNews.com.

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