Thompson Cancer Survival Foundation

TO SUPPORT THOMPSON CANCER SURVIVAL CENTER'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THROUGH CHARITABLE GIFTS.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY OPERATING GRANT: THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES GRANT SUPPORT FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE THOMPSON CANCER SURVIVAL CENTER. MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT FACILITATES SPECIALTY PHYSICIANS DISCUSSING TREATMENT OPTIONS BASED ON EACH PATIENT'S CIRCUMSTANCES. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY NURSE NAVIGATOR SCHEDULES A PRIVATE CONSULTATION FOR EACH PATIENT WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE SPECIALTY TEAM. THIS APPROACH GIVES THE PHYSICIAN THE OPPORTUNITY TO RELATE ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE ONCOLOGY PATIENT AND EXPLAIN TREATMENT CHOICES IN LAYMAN'S TERMS. PATIENTS IN NEED OF THIS SUPPORT COME FROM VARIOUS COVENANT HEALTH FACILITIES.NURSE NAVIGATORS AND A DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT CURRENTLY ORGANIZE, OVERSEE, SUMMARIZE, AND PROVIDE FOLLOW-UP FOR 4 TO 5 MULTIDISCIPLINARY CANCER CONFERENCES PER WEEK. IN 2021, 893 PATIENTS WERE PRESENTED AT MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCES WITH 126 OF THOSE PATIENTS SEEN IN THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY CLINICS WHERE A NURSE NAVIGATOR ATTENDS TO TAKE NOTES, EDUCATE, OFFER SUPPORT TO PATIENTS AND FAMILIES, AND BECOME THEIR LIAISON BETWEEN ALL PHYSICIANS AND SERVICES. THOMPSON'S NURSE NAVIGATORS ASSIST ONCOLOGY PATIENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS AND HELP THEM OVERCOME MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE. COMMON BARRIERS INCLUDE FINANCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICAL, LINGUISTIC, CULTURAL, AND EMOTIONAL FACTORS, AS WELL AS THE COMPLICATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN GENERAL. NAVIGATORS GUIDE PATIENTS TO SOURCES OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT, HELP COMPLETE PAPERWORK, EDUCATE PATIENTS ON DIAGNOSES AND MEDICAL PROCEDURES, ARRANGE AND COORDINATE APPOINTMENTS WITH MULTIPLE PROVIDERS, HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION, ASSIST WITH HOUSING, COMMUNICATE WITH PROVIDERS ABOUT UNIQUE PATIENT NEEDS, ENSURE MEDICAL RECORDS ARRIVE AT SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS, DIRECT PATIENTS TO SUPPORT GROUPS OR COUNSELING SERVICES, AND ATTEND PATIENT APPOINTMENTS FOR SUPPORT. TWO NEW NURSE NAVIGATORS WERE ADDED TO THE PROGRAM IN 2021.IN 2021, THERE WERE 23,888 ONCOLOGY PATIENT EDUCATION ENCOUNTERS AND 1,800 PATIENTS ASSISTED BY NURSE NAVIGATORS TO ADDRESS COMPLICATED ISSUES. FOR THOSE PATIENTS THAT HAVE CURATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS, 172 SURVIVORSHIP CARE PLANS WERE COMPLETED BY NURSE NAVIGATORS AND DISCUSSED WITH PATIENTS IN 2021.

SOCIAL SERVICES OPERATING GRANT:THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES GRANT SUPPORT FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT OF THE THOMPSON CANCER SURVIVAL CENTER. THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT RECEIVES REFERRALS FROM COVENANT HEALTH FACILITIES WHEN ONCOLOGY PATIENTS ARE IDENTIFIED THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THIS DEPARTMENT. IN 2021, SOCIAL SERVICES SUPPORTED 2,991 NEW PATIENT REFERRALS AND 7,173 FOLLOW-UP PATIENTS. ADDITIONALLY, THERE WERE 2,908 NEW PATIENTS REFERRED FOR NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING AND EDUCATION WITH 4,858 FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS AND 3,970 EDUCATIONAL ENCOUNTERS TO SUPPORT THOSE PATIENTS. THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT ALSO OFFERS GENETIC COUNSELING SERVICES INCLUDING BREAST CANCER AND HEREDITARY CANCER RISK ASSESSMENTS. IN 2021, THE GENETICS CLINIC PROVIDED SERVICES FOR 793 NEW PATIENTS WHO WERE IN NEED OF GENETIC COUNSELING. OF THOSE PATIENTS, 550 WERE SCHEDULED, 367 COMPLETED GENETIC COUNSELING, AND 292 ELECTED TO PURSUE GENETIC TESTING. WHETHER PATIENTS TESTED POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE FOR A HEREDITARY CANCER SYNDROME, DECIDED NOT TO PURSUE TESTING, OR WERE NOT APPROPRIATE CANDIDATES FOR TESTING, THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES WERE ABLE TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING THEIR MEDICAL MANAGEMENT BASED ON THE GENETIC COUNSELING THEY RECEIVED. ALL PATIENTS RECEIVED EDUCATION, COUNSELING AND GUIDELINES BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS INFORMED BY THEIR PERSONAL HEALTH HISTORY, FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY, AND GENETIC TESTING RESULTS.

CLINICAL TRIALS OPERATING GRANT:THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES A GRANT TO THE THOMPSON CANCER SURVIVAL CENTER FOR THE OPERATION OF ITS CLINICAL TRIALS PROGRAM. SINCE THE OPENING OF TCSC IN 1988, THE CLINICAL TRIALS DEPARTMENT HAS ENROLLED 2,702 PATIENTS IN CLINICAL TRIALS. THE TCSC CLINICAL TRIALS DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY HAS 7 ACTIVE TREATMENT PATIENTS AND 104 PATIENTS IN FOLLOW-UP STUDIES. IN 2021, TCSC CLINICAL TRIALS DEPARTMENT OPENED 10 NEW ONCOLOGY CLINICAL TRIALS. DUE TO THE EXCELLENT RESEARCH REPUTATION OF THE PROGRAM'S MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND RESEARCH TEAM, TCSC CONTINUES TO HAVE NEW CLINICAL TRIAL OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO ITS RESEARCH TEAM ON A WEEKLY BASIS. TO HELP WITH SCREENING EFFORTS FOR POTENTIAL CLINICAL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS, RESEARCH NURSE COORDINATORS ARE ASSIGNED TO SPECIFIC PHYSICIAN SCHEDULES FOR SCREENING AND TO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS FOR COVERAGE, INCLUDING THOMPSON ONCOLOGY GROUP'S OAK RIDGE, SEVIERVILLE, WEST KNOXVILLE, DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE, AND LENOIR CITY. OPENING NEW STUDIES INCREASES REFERRALS LOCALLY AND REGIONALLY AND GIVES CURRENT PATIENTS THE ABILITY TO BE TREATED WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART CARE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY. INVOLVEMENT IN PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND DATA AND SPECIMEN COLLECTION TRIALS OFFERS AN IMPROVED MEANS OF HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR INDIVIDUALS AT RISK FOR CERTAIN CANCERS, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO PROVEN STANDARD CANCER TREATMENTS AND NEW, DEVELOPING CUTTING EDGE THERAPIES FOR THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER.

IN ADDITION TO THE PROGRAM SERVICES DETAILED ABOVE, FUNDING WAS ALSO PROVIDED IN 2021 FOR CANCER OUTREACH AND PATIENT ASSISTANCE.THOMPSON CANCER SURVIVAL CENTER FOUNDATION SUPPORTS THE WORK OF THOMPSON'S CANCER OUTREACH DEPARTMENT WHICH PROVIDES FREE AND REDUCED-COST CANCER SCREENINGS IN THE EAST TENNESSEE AREA. IN ADDITION TO OUTREACH EFFORTS AT COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIRS AND FREE CLINICS, THE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES NO-COST MAMMOGRAMS AND SMOKING/VAPING CESSATION EDUCATION. IN 2021, MOST OUTREACH AND EDUCATION EVENTS WERE SUSPENDED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, BUT THE DEPARTMENT PROVIDED MORE THAN 300 FREE MAMMOGRAMS TO WOMEN IN NEED. EARLY DETECTION AND PREVENTION EFFORTS ARE THE FIRST STEP TO HELP PATIENTS BE DIAGNOSED QUICKLY OR, IF POSSIBLE, NEVER HAVE TO BATTLE THE DISEASE AT ALL.THE THOMPSON CARES FUND, SUPPORTED BY EMPLOYEE AND COMMUNITY DONATIONS, PROVIDES EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR CANCER PATIENTS IN TIMES OF CRISIS. IN 2021, 829 PATIENTS RECEIVED ASSISTANCE WITH SUCH NEEDS AS HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, UTILITIES, FOOD/NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND MEDICATIONS.