We offer care planning, health monitoring, wellness guidance, and support services to promote long-term health and quality of life for those who have completed active therapy.

The Bridge Survivorship Program at the WVU Cancer Institute Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center works to connect patients and their families to resources throughout the cancer journey, including during and after completion of active treatment. These services are embedded in a patient’s current care path, and referrals to other services may be made based on patient-reported needs and results of distress screening or other assessments.

Our survivorship program team consists of representatives from all disciplines who select three programs to focus on each year based on patient feedback, clinical experiences, and common needs in survivorship. We have strengthened connections with cardio-oncology, reproductive medicine, physical and occupational therapy, and many other service lines since the inception in 2020. We continue to grow our programs year after year.

Our survivorship program services include:

• Behavioral medicine and psychiatry
• Brain tumor counseling/physical activity
• Cancer screening for lung cancer
• Cardio-oncology
• Nutrition screening
• Pain management
• Palliative care
• Rehabilitation
• Support groups
• Smoking cessation

At the WVU Cancer Institute, we pay special attention to the ways you’re affected by cancer. Through the Bridge survivorship program, we are working to improve patients’ quality of life during and after cancer diagnoses.

This understanding coincided with changes made by accrediting bodies. Their new standards allow programs to shift focus from survivorship care plans to meeting patients’ overall needs.

Just like there isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment for cancer, no two people experience cancer the same way. Each individual has unique needs and challenges that could impact their ability to cope.

As a result, we focus on any challenges an individual may be facing from the onset of their diagnosis.

The Bridge Survivorship Program was created to assist patients with any identified needs or concerns from diagnosis through the course of their care. These needs are assessed at certain pivotal points of care because needs or challenges may change over time. Assessments occur during a patient’s active treatment period, as well as the period immediately following therapy. It also includes the time they enter their surveillance and follow-up phase of care.

Our assessment process incorporates standardized tools that screen for a range of psychosocial needs and concerns. These include depression, anxiety, loss of mobility or function, financial struggles, employment issues, and childcare needs.

The goal of the program is to connect patients with the resources they need to manage personal challenges and receive care that helps reduce symptoms and side effects, addressing needs proactively to lower the risk of crises that could disrupt treatment or recovery.

You’ll have access to an oncology social worker and specialty care nurse who can help you with navigation and care coordination. You’ll also have access to a wide range of programs and services available at the WVU Cancer Institute. These include:

• Counseling from licensed psychiatrists and clinical therapists who can help with common health challenges, such as anxiety and depression and help you adjust to your diagnosis
• Financial counseling, including support for patients who don’t have medical insurance
• Nutrition counseling from registered dietitians who can answer questions about dietary restrictions, nutritional supplements, tube feeding adjustments, or treatment side effects
• Pain management services
• Physical therapy from a board-certified oncology specialist to help manage pain, lymphedema, or other movement-related problems
• Occupational therapy from a licensed therapist who can help overcome challenges with daily activities, including memory problems
• Speech therapy from a licensed speech and language pathologist to help overcome communication challenges or swallowing problems
• Spiritual support from our hospital chaplains

Once patients complete cancer treatment, our program supports their transition to the next phase of care: recovering from treatments and associated side effects and resuming their life roles.

For many patients, adjusting to life after cancer can be more challenging than expected, as feelings of relief and gratitude are often accompanied by uncertainty, anxiety about reduced follow-up visits, and fears of recurrence, underscoring the importance of continued assessment and connection to supportive services even after treatment ends.

In addition to services available through the survivorship program, the WVU Cancer Institute also provides free resources to our growing, thriving community of cancer survivors. These include:

• Support groups that let you talk with other people who have (or had) cancer and can relate to what you’re going through
• A private Living Beyond Cancer Facebook group managed by the WVU Cancer Institute staff

For more information about the Bridge Survivorship Program, please contact Adrienne Duckworth, program director, at [email protected] or call 304-974-3229.