The Benefits of Keeping Cancer Care Close to Home

While a cancer diagnosis is never good news, there is a silver lining in the news that cancer treatment has become more widely available in central Ohio, even in rural counties like Pickaway. In the past, patients needing cancer therapy had to travel to big hospitals in metropolitan areas, but not anymore. And that’s good news for many reasons. One reason is that studies show receiving cancer care close to home enhances your health outcomes and general well-being. Let’s look at some of the other benefits of keeping cancer care local.

Why is local cancer care so important?

The burden of traveling for cancer care can cause mental and physical stress that can hinder cancer therapy. It can even cause patients to stop going to their treatments. Stress can come from the added expense of travel and time away from home and family. Patients may feel unprepared to deal with big-city traffic, parking or lodging. There is also often the headache of dealing with a complex medical system.

Smaller community hospitals like the Bradley Cancer Center in the OhioHealth Berger Hospital in Circleville offer easier access to care and testing, which can eliminate the stress of traveling to an unfamiliar city. They can also provide more personalized care from health professionals like nurse navigators.

Nurse navigators are your advocates

Kara Davis, BSN, RN, is a general oncology nurse navigator at OhioHealth Berger Hospital. Her job is to meet with all cancer patients, assess their needs, help them remove barriers to care, coordinate appointments and provide cancer education. She is a patient’s medical point person throughout their cancer journey.

Kara is a nurse who reviews all scans and biopsies for patients. “My job is to walk with patients throughout their entire cancer journey, from diagnosis, through treatment and for six months into survivorship. I am the patient’s advocate. I will not let any patient fall through the cracks,” she said.

Nurse navigators like Kara are great at thinking outside the box when it comes to patient care. For example, Kara tells us about a stage 4 cancer patient who was very sick and needed to start chemotherapy immediately. “It was now or never. If she didn’t start chemo now, she would be too sick to start at all. She needed the kind of chemo given three days in a row, but the cancer clinic doesn’t schedule chemo on Fridays. The patient thought she would have to wait almost a week to start therapy or go to Columbus, which she didn’t feel up to doing. So, I worked with the oncology team to have the doctor on call available for a special chemo treatment that Friday. Two weeks later, her tumor had shrunk, and she was starting to feel better. I was so happy we could help her,” she said.

Patients are not billed for navigation services. Not all hospitals have nurse navigators, so the patients at OhioHealth Berger Hospital are fortunate to have Kara in their corner.

Personalized cancer care can be an emotional boost

Customized care from hometown medical providers help you feel better. You may already know them, making receiving treatment easier and more comfortable. “Patients like that they know they will see the same faces every time they come in for care or testing. The continuity puts them at ease,” Kara said.

Personalized care also allows for more precise and targeted therapy, improving patient health and well-being. As a result, personalized cancer treatment can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life.

“Chemo is chemo. The medicine is the same here and in Columbus. You don’t need to go to a big city anymore. My patients value that,” Kara said. She continues, “I have a patient who drives here to Berger from Pickerington even though it takes about the same time to drive to Columbus. He said he appreciates that he can park and walk into the building quicker and easier. He likes the smallness of Berger.”

When would I need to travel for cancer care?

Berger provides all cancer therapies except for radiation. Patients must drive to other OhioHealth hospitals in Columbus. Kara will coordinate with other navigators in those facilities for her patients’ care. She will also make sure they have transportation, fuel and other resources to make the trip. With Kara managing the scheduling and coordination, getting cancer treatment out of town can be less stressful. 

There are so many benefits of keeping cancer care local. A cancer diagnosis is stressful enough. Having to travel out of town for treatment can increase that stress. Luckily, central Ohio residents in Pickaway and surrounding counties do not have to travel far for comprehensive cancer care at OhioHealth.

For more information about the OhioHealth Bradley Cancer Center, call (740) 420-8521.

Learn more about OhioHealth’s other cancer centers locations.