Advancements in cancer research have helped nearly 17 million Americans survive cancer, and that number is expected to jump to 22 million by the year 2030. June has been proclaimed National Cancer Survivor Month, and the University of Illinois Cancer Center’s survivorship program provides patients with the resources they need to help them continue living a full life during and after cancer care.
The UI Cancer Center’s Survivorship Clinic is housed within Mile Square Health Center, 1220 S. Wood St., a federally qualified health center. Any adult diagnosed with cancer with their primary care physician at Mile Square or who are treated at UI Health are eligible to receive care in the survivorship program. The clinic’s aim is to coordinate care between the cancer specialist and primary care physician to ensure that all aspects of a cancer survivor’s health needs are met.
Directed by Susan Hong, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, the Survivorship Clinic offers screening for recurrent and new cancers; monitoring for late effects of cancer and cancer treatments, including medical and psychosocial effects; interventions for the consequences of cancer and its treatment, whether it’s through medication, specialty referral, therapy or other supportive care services; and coordinating care between a patient’s cancer physician and primary care provider.
Learn more about UI Cancer Center’s Survivorship Program here
National Cancer Survivors Day is Friday, June 5, and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the UI Cancer Center, along with Peer Plus Education and Training Partners and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, is sponsoring a Zoom online information session to discuss “What’s Next? Testimony, Challenge and Hope: Cancer Survivors and COVID-19.”
Panelists include:
- Karriem Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH, associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement, UI Cancer Center, and associate executive director of Mile Square
- Freddie White-Johnson, founder and president, Fannie Lou Hamer Cancer Foundation, and director, Mississippi Network for Cancer Control and Prevention, University of Southern Mississippi
- Nita Karnick Lee, MD, MPH, gynecologic oncologist, assistant director, Community Engagement, University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Steven Sims, MD, otolaryngologist, director, Chicago Institute for Voice Care, University of Illinois College of Medicine
- Kennedy Parker, cancer survivor
To submit questions in advance, email to [email protected]