A common feeling among patients diagnosed with cancer is a sense of being alone, of not being able to share their concerns, anxieties and fears, even with family and loved ones. That situation and the importance of being empowered through information and common experiences is the basis for the emphasis that Riverside Cancer Care places on education and support.
This support includes individual and highly personalized assistance with navigating the complexities of the health care system, programs that focus on the emotional needs of patients and the people at home who help provide their care, art and expressive therapies, web resources related to cancer care and a number of support groups for patients and family members and friends.
The Patient Navigation Program
This program helps guide patients and their families through the health care system in general and the cancer experience in particular. Riverside wants to help support you and your family through this difficult time. Our cancer patient navigators help smooth out an often scary and sometimes isolated road. They will be there to help guide you through tests, treatments and the many questions you might face.
- Provide reliable information and comforting support
- Help coordinate care for breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients from a suspicious screening through diagnosis, treatment and cancer survival.
- Help with concerns about insurance, transportation and a variety of support services.
Riverside's Patient Navigation Program is here for you at no cost.
Cancer Wellness Program
The Riverside Wellness and Fitness Center offers a 12-week Cancer Wellness Program that acts as a support group for cancer survivors and current cancer patients. The program is designed to help increase strength and endurance, improve mood, and increase overall quality of life. Our goal is to help patients throughout cancer treatment to improve fitness levels beyond treatment and into remission. Participants will receive supervised exercise, including individual aerobic exercise, yoga and strength and flexibility training to help improve strength, endurance, flexibility and overall health. For more information call 757-875-7525 or by email at [email protected].
Riverside Cancer Care Network Survivorship Series
We invite you to join us for a Cancer Care Network Survivorship Series. This series brings you informative talks presented by Riverside experts on various topics, aimed at supporting the whole person, not just a disease, to enhance quality of life. These lectures will broadcast LIVE on our Riverside YouTube channel.
From the time of you or your loved one's cancer diagnosis, through treatment and survivorship, Riverside Cancer Care Network is here to support you each step of your journey.
February 16, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. on Riverside’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/c/riversidehealth
Newly Diagnosed? How Prehabilitation Prepares You for Treatment and Improves Your Quality of Life
Join registered dietitian Lynne Groeger and Ashley Abraham, a clinical lead for our cancer rehabilitation program, to learn how prehabilitation helps you become healthier and stronger before your cancer treatment. It improves outcomes and makes recovery easier through fitness, nutrition and lifestyle modifications.
May 18, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. on Riverside’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/c/riversidehealth
Coping with Cancer - The Importance of Early Palliative Care
Palliative care is a special approach to maintain your well-being that can begin when you receive a cancer diagnosis. It helps you manage your physical and emotional health to live as comfortably as possible throughout treatment. Join board certified palliative medicine provider Sarah West, M.D. to learn how palliative care can help you feel better, as well as support your loved ones and caregivers.
August 17, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. on Riverside’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/c/riversidehealth
Care for the Caregiver - When Your Loved One is Diagnosed with Cancer
Finding out someone you love has cancer can be overwhelming. Join Julie Kilburn, a social worker at Riverside Cancer Care Center, as she shares ways to create a sense of balance in your life, manage stress, improve your overall well-being and be a better caregiver.
November 16, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. on Riverside’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/c/riversidehealth
Well-being - Mental Wellness Tools to Help You Through Your Cancer Journey
Being diagnosed with cancer is life-changing and it is common to experience changes in the way you think or behave. Join a licensed therapist from Riverside Behavioral Health Center to learn about the various therapies and medications available to support your mental health needs.
Bereavement Group
Riverside Hospice provides bereavement support to assist adults in adjustments during the initial period of mourning and into the actual work of grief after the death of a loved one. To assist in this process, group and individual counseling are provided to those who are in need of this service. The Bereavement Group meets virtually every Friday from 1:30-3:00. To register to attend the group, please email [email protected] or call 757-594-2745.
This group is open to the community at large and to any type of loss resulting from the death of a loved one. They are designed for adults 18 years of age and older; both are free of charge. Individual bereavement counseling is available for a limited number of sessions to provide additional support when needed.
This service is also free of charge. Bereavement education is also available to area groups such as physician offices, universities, and service organizations who wish to learn more about the grief process or who are interested in helping others with the grief process.
Web Resources
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Brain Tumor Association
- American Cancer Society
- American Dietetic Association
- Colon Cancer Alliance
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Lung Cancer Alliance
- Mayo Clinic
- National Cancer Institute
- National Institutes of Health
- National Library of Medicine
- Prostate Cancer Foundation
- Susan G. Komen For The Cure® (Breast Cancer)
- Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation
- Women's Health