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UK Markey Cancer Center Survivorship Services · UK HealthCast

• 0:00
  Scott Webb (Host): Welcome to UK HealthCast, a podcast from UK HealthCare.
• 0:04
  I'm Scott Webb.
• 0:04
  And today, we're going to learn about UK Markey Cancer Survivorship
• 0:07
  Services from the social worker supervisor for Markey, Katie Brown.
• 0:11
  Katie, it's nice to have you here today.
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  We're going to learn more from you as the social worker supervisor
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  for the Markey Cancer Center.
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  We're going to learn about survivorship and the services that are available.
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  But before we get to that, just want to have you introduce yourself,
• 0:23
  tell us about your role at the cancer center, and so forth.
• 0:26
  Katie Brown: Sure.
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  Thank you for having me.
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  So again, I'm Katie Brown.
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  I supervise a team of social workers and patient navigators here at Markey.
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  We're responsible for helping patients meet all of the psychosocial type
• 0:39
  aspects of what they're going through with their appointments here at Markey.
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  Host: Yeah.
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  And as I said, and I teased there a little bit, we're going to learn more
• 0:47
  about the, not only the survivorship services, but what survivorship means,
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  like a better understanding of that.
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  So just want to get a sense from you, like what inspired you to focus
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  your work on cancer survivorship?
• 0:58
  Katie Brown: so the main reason that I ended up here is, I
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  have history of cancer myself.
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  I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was two, so I have been a cancer
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  survivor for the past 38 years.
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  And, it was always a goal of mine to end up in this realm of healthcare
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  Host: That's amazing, and I'm so glad to still have you here and
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  to be talking to you, of course.
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  So, let's tell folks, what does that mean, cancer survivorship?
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  Maybe it's implied, but I'd rather hear it from you.
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  Katie Brown: So, a cancer survivor is anybody who is living with or
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  through or beyond a cancer diagnosis.
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  So, it doesn't mean you have to be done with treatment to have survived cancer.
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  Once you get that diagnosis, anybody living with it is a cancer survivor.
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  Host: Right.
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  From that point on, you are in fact a survivor.
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  So then, what are some of the biggest challenges maybe that
• 1:48
  survivors face after treatment ends?
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  And maybe an opportunity here for you to talk about some of the services you offer.
• 1:55
  Katie Brown: So, cancer can affect pretty much every aspect of a patient's
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  life, whether that be needing to regain their strength after they've completed
• 2:04
  treatments, dealing with changes in their physical appearance, working
• 2:09
  through just that mental aspect of everything they've just gone through.
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  Sometimes it takes until you finish treatment to be able to fully just sit
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  down and take a breath and process, "Wow, I just went through a lot and I
• 2:23
  need to work through all of that now."
• 2:26
  Host: Sure.
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  So then, let's talk then specifically about some of the survivorship services
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  that you and your team offer to folks.
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  Katie Brown: So, there is, survivorship services available through the clinics.
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  There are APPs in each of our Markey clinics that do more of the clinical side
• 2:43
  of follow-up after cancer treatments.
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  And then, my team provides the psychosocial support.
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  So, that's connecting them with resources to help meet
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  financial needs, practical needs.
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  Helps with the mental health aspect of everything that they've gone through.
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  We do counseling services and support groups.
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  Pretty much if a need arises that a patient has, my team will do everything
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  they can to research what's out there to help meet that need for them.
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  Host: Right.
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  Yeah, maybe you can just discuss a little bit the different types
• 3:15
  of support that are available.
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  Katie Brown: So specifically right now, we have a cancer survivorship support group.
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  One of our social workers leads that and just walks through that journey
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  with the patients and helps them process everything that they've been through.
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  We have individual counseling available through our team as well.
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  We have four LCSWs who provide those counseling services,
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  and that is free of charge for patients, as well as caregivers.
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  That's available to the support people for the patients as well.
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  We are also working on a cancer survivorship wellness series, so a series
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  throughout the remainder of this year with different topics each month, just
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  touching on certain aspects of things that may be helpful for patients as
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  they're coming out of those treatments.
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  Host: Right.
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  Yeah.
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  And speaking of patients, just wondering who's eligible.
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  Is everyone eligible?
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  Is that how that works or are there certain criteria maybe?
• 4:10
  Katie Brown: Yes.
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  Anybody who is a patient here at Markey is eligible to participate
• 4:16
  in these support services.
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  We also have some patients from outside of Markey who have joined our support groups
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  Host: Yeah, and I think you've covered this, but I wanted to
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  make sure I touch on this again.
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  Do patients need to be finished with treatment to begin
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  receiving survivorship support?
• 4:32
  Katie Brown: They do not.
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  Host: Okay.
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  So, let's talk then more about the wellness series you
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  touched on just a little bit.
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  You teased there a little bit, we call it in the business.
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  But let's get more into it.
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  Like, what can patients expect?
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  Katie Brown: We have four more sessions scheduled for the remainder of this year.
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  In September, we're doing one on narrative medicine, helping patients navigate
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  their relationships after diagnosis.
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  In October, we're doing one called Restoring Confidence that talks about
• 4:59
  hair regrowth after treatment and wigs and head coverings, things like that.
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  November is a Tai Chi session, which can be really beneficial for patients
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  in survivorship just to help regain some of that physical strength.
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  And then, in December, we're doing one on cognitive restoration.
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  Chemo can really cause what we call chemo brain, just that mental fog.
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  And so, this is a workshop that we're going to have that goes into
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  next year that helps just with that mental restoration for patients.
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  Host: I never heard that before, chemo brain.
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  I mean, it makes total sense.
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  I've heard about the fog before, but referred to as chemo brain.
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  So obviously, lots of benefits in this Cancer Survivorship Wellness series.
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  You know, when we think about the benefits, do you feel like—I
• 5:47
  mean, there's probably never a bad time to do Tai Chi, but I can
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  see why that would be beneficial.
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  Maybe you can just kind of talk about some of the benefits that folks get from this.
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  Katie Brown: Some of these sessions we set up just to make sure that
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  patients know the services that are available here at Markey.
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  A lot of these different groups that we have presenting for these sessions offer
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  services all of the time here at Markey.
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  So, this is kind of a preview into some of those services that are available
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  on an ongoing basis for patients.
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  That was our main focus in choosing some of the topics that we did so that
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  patients can see if it's something that would be helpful for them, and then we'll
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  get them connected after the session to continue on with those services.
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  Host: Right.
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  Yeah and speaking of connected, you used that word there.
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  Just wondering how do folks do that?
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  How do they connect with the Survivorship Services?
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  Katie Brown: So, they can ask about it while they're
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  here for clinic appointments.
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  All of the staff in the clinics knows how to reach out to myself or my team
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  to connect them with a social worker.
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  They can see a list of all of the services available on Markey's website as well.
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  We have flyers posted around the clinics of some of the different
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  support groups and the wellness series with information available.
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  There's links and QR codes on those flyers so that they can connect to
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  registration for the different groups.
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  And most patients that have had any kind of touch base with a social worker
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  throughout their appointments at Markey have a direct line for a social worker.
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  So if they're already connected with a social worker, they can ask
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  them about how to get connected with any of these services as well.
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  Host: Sure.
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  That's perfect.
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  Well, it's been great having you on today, learn more about the services that
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  you offer and the benefits for folks.
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  If you could leave cancer survivors with one message of encouragement,
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  Katie, what would it be?
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  Katie Brown: I think the biggest thing would just be to never
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  hesitate to ask for or accept help that's being offered to you.
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  Going through a cancer diagnosis can be such a difficult and oftentimes
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  isolating feeling experience.
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  But there are so many ways that you can be supported through it.
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  So, my team and all of the staff at Markey are here to help in any way that we can.
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  Host: Yeah, it sure sounds like it.
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  Well, appreciate your time, your expertise, your compassion today.
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  Hope folks appreciated this.
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  Thanks so much.
• 8:02
  Katie Brown: Thank you.
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  Host: And for more information, visit markey.uky.edu.
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  And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast from UK HealthCare.
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  Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all
• 8:13
  the other UK HealthCare podcasts.
• 8:15
  I'm Scott Webb.
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  Stay well.