Support Services
Fighting cancer with more than just medicine
At The University of Kansas Cancer Center, we strive to help all patients through their unique cancer journey. Our support services team works one on one and in groups with patients, their caregivers and families to promote whole body wellness for those living with cancer.
We specialize in helping you meet the many challenges you face, whether they are nutritional, spiritual, social or psychological. We can help you identify your challenges and provide you with tools to manage them.
For assistance or more information, talk to any member of your care team.
How We Can Help
Nutrition – Our dietitians are available to evaluate your diet and recommend changes in food or supplements. We can help you make sense of the latest nutrition information and make the best choices for your wellbeing. We’ll help you correct nutritional deficiencies, minimize treatment side effects and create a nutrition plan after treatment.
Patient and family education – Education gives you the knowledge to partner with your care team in your own care. We offer educational opportunities on a variety of topics. You can also find books, brochures, DVDs and other cancer materials in the Brandmeyer Patient Resource Center at the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion in Westwood, Kansas.
Psychologists – We understand that to heal physically, you must also take care of yourself emotionally. Our psychologists are specially trained to help you and your family with the emotional aspects of living with and surviving cancer. We offer short- and long-term individual psychotherapy, couples and family counseling, short-term crisis resolution and grief counseling.
Social services – Our full-time social workers help you and your family cope with a variety of issues related to cancer diagnosis and its treatment. We can help you find resources for housing or lodging, transportation, home care services and financial concerns. We can also provide you with information on Social Security disability, Medicaid and referrals to additional community resources.
Spiritual care – When your body faces a difficult diagnosis, your spiritual self is affected as well. We can help you and your loved ones find a balance between cancer treatment and spiritual needs. Our chaplain serves the whole community, including people who have deeply held spiritual beliefs and those who do not. We offer prayer, pastoral care and counseling, and worship services.
Support groups – We offer support groups for patients and families on a variety of cancer types. They include gynecologic, breast, renal cell, head and neck, and prostate cancers. For more information, contact the Brandmeyer Patient Resource Center.