PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center

Preparing for Your First Visit

• Write down all of your questions and concerns and bring them with you to your appointment. 
• Bring a list of all of your medications, vitamins, nutritional or herbal supplements, etc.
• Consider bringing a family member or friend to help you for support.

When You Arrive

• Arrive early enough to complete forms.
• Bring your insurance card and photo ID.
• Mute your cell phone.

After Your Visit

• Allow yourself time to think about what you learned from your doctor visit.
• Consider your doctor’s recommendations.
• If there are any follow-up questions you have from your appointment, please contact the Cancer Center to talk with one of the nurses or schedule a follow-up with your physician.
• Consider creating your My PeaceHealth account to facilitate communicating with your health care team. Ask questions and review test results.

Planning for Future Visits

If transportation to and from appointments is of concern to you, please discuss any barriers with our social workers to identify ways our Cancer Center can assist. We have a number of different programs that you might qualify for:

• Ro​ad to Recovery is a hallmark program of the American Cancer Society​​. This free program offers transportation assistance to patients needing to get to treatment appointments. 
• The San Juan Eagles Treatment Support Mission Project provides free flights for cancer patients from San Juan Island to Skagit Regional and Bellingham airports for treatment at medical facilities. For more information, call and leave a message at (360) 378-4578. ​

We change programs on a regular basis. If you are interested in attending an online class, please contact us for more information. 

Keeping Active During Treatment

• Yoga
  Open to patients and survivors. Mats provided.
• Qigong
  This traditional Chinese mind-body practices uses meditation, breathing control, and movement to balance the flow of energy through the body.
• Tai Chi
  Slow, gentle, and meditative movements promote balance, increase flexibility and strength, and reduce stress. Regular practice brings about a deep sense of peace and well-being.
• Fit vs. Fatigue
  Bellingham Athletic Club offers free membership to local patients currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Ask your doctor about a referral (required).

Support Groups

• Women's Support Group
  Open to women with any type of cancer diagnosis.
• Men's Support Group
  Open to men with any type of cancer diagnosis.
• Family & Friends Support Group
  Open to friends and families of patients needing support for any loved ones' cancer diagnosis. This group is a safe place to talk and ask questions.
• Brain Tumor Caregiver's Support Group
  Open to friend and family of those diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Other Programs

• Healing Through Creativity
  Skilled volunteers of the Cancer Center teach painting with watercolors and acrylics.
• Mindfulness Meditation
  Mindfulness-based therapy can assist people dealing with chronic pain, illness, depression or anxiety.
• Look Good, Feel Better
  A joint service of the American Cancer Society, Look Good...Feel Better is designed to teach women undergoing treatment how to use makeup, wigs, and scarves to enhance appearance and boost spirits.
• Nutrition Class
  Learn about the importance of nutrition during cancer treatment and how it can assist with managing side effects of treatment.
• Specialty Workshops
  Offered periodically. Check calendar in the cancer center for information.

Support groups, survivorship classes, yoga, and a wig, hat and scarves boutique are available to patients in the Cancer Center. A Patient Resource Library, located near the entrance, offers patients and families access to current information about cancer, treatment options and more. Various ancillary staff are here to support you and your family at the time of diagnosis and through treatment.

Patient Financial Advocate

Financial Advocates are responsible for identifying and helping to mitigate financial toxicity for patients with cancer, caregivers and their families. We do this by proactively identifying and evaluating how to maximize the patient’s health insurance benefits, proactively reducing economic barriers to care by having working knowledge of available patient assistance programs, financial advocacy tools, and resources, and accurately explaining insurance coverage.  If you are interested in speaking with one of our Oncology Patient Financial Advocates in the Cancer Center about your specific situation, please call (360) 788-8233.  

Nutrition Management

Nutrition services can be essential as part of a comprehensive plan providing safe and effective nutrition care. This includes prevention, coping with the side effects of treatment and survivorship. Good nutritional intake can help improve tolerance to cancer therapies and improve quality of life. If there are any concerns about your nutritional risk, our oncology-specialized dietitian can provide a free assessment in setting nutrition related goals.

Complementary Therapies

Patients receiving treatment at PeaceHealth Cancer Center for cancer may be able to receive complementary therapies to aid in reducing stress and increasing relaxation during treatment. These calming therapies are available in a comfortable and supportive setting to increase your sense of well-being. Some examples of complementary therapies are Massage, Acupuncture and Reiki.

Social Services

Medical Social Workers are available to help support patients and their loved ones on their cancer journey, adjusting to life during treatment as well as side effects from treatment. Our staff is available to help with access to transportation, caregiver needs, career-related legal rights and disability paperwork. Social workers are also able to facilitate referrals for rehabilitation, home care, grief support, pastoral/spiritual care, palliative care and hospice as well as many other community programs. Our staff members lead our support groups which offer an environment for patients and families to receive support and encouragement from others on a similar journey.

Resource Center

Our Resource Library is conveniently located off of the lobby. It is staffed full-time by volunteers who can assist patients and their families with many services. The Resource Library contains informational brochures, a lending library of books and DVDs/CDs, and a wig, hat and scarf bank with a private room for trying things on.

Survivorship – Life After Treatment

Completing cancer treatment can be a difficult transition for many patients.  Depending on your cancer type, stage of disease, and response to treatment, you may be eligible for survivorship services available through the Cancer Center.  Talk with your care team to discuss a plan for survivorship as you complete your treatment to determine if you may be eligible for these services.

Cancer Prevention

Prevention and early detection are important factors in diagnosing cancer earlier, thereby increasing the chance for cure. Research shows that up to 50 percent of cancer cases and deaths are preventable. Based on data from the National Institutes of Health, chances of developing cancer are greatly affected by our lifestyle choices. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, overweight and obesity are associated with 13 types of cancer, making up 40 percent of all cancer diagnosed. Unfortunately, most Americans do not realize this, therefore, are not making the necessary changes in their diet and activity levels to reduce their risk for developing cancer in the first place. Our cancer center offers exercise classes, nutrition education, and support groups to assist you in your cancer prevention journey.

Cancer Detection

Cancer screening can help detect cancer before symptoms are present, which can increase treatment success rates and save lives. Screening for breast, colorectal, cervical, endometrial (uterine), lung and/or prostate cancer may be recommended for you depending on your gender, age and risk factors. Learn about the American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer. Then talk with your primary care provider to determine which cancer screenings you may need.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center was designed to offer a full-range of services all in one convenient location. Patients can see their cancer specialists and receive treatment without ever leaving the facility. A team of highly trained physicians, professional caregivers and volunteers deliver compassionate care during difficult cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. These drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body, killing cancer cells in the tumor but also targeting cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. Not every patient will require chemotherapy treatment. Patients that do require chemotherapy treatment will meet with one of our board-certified Medical Oncologists. These doctors are experts in the use of chemotherapy and use their knowledge to determine which medications will be most effective in treating specific cancers.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy are medications give either orally or through a vein that helps the immune system fight cancer. Select patients with specific cancer diagnoses may be eligible to receive immunotherapy. Talk with your medical oncologist whether immunotherapy is an option for you.  Read more information about immunotherapy.

Radiation

The PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center Radiation Oncology Department provides the latest medical technology with two new Varian linear accelerators. Radiation therapy uses targeted, high-dose x-rays to destroy cancer cells. While some healthy cells are damaged during the treatment, they can repair themselves, whereas the cancer cells cannot. Radiation therapy can be given alone or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. Individuals that undergo this treatment typically have multiple treatments. Since side effects of radiation are very specific to the area of treatment, please talk with your Radiation Oncologist about your expected treatment side effects and ways to manage them. Radiation nurses will be at your side to assist in finding ways to overcome side effects as well.

Clinical Trials

The Radiation Oncologists and Medical Oncologists at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center serve as investigators and participate in clinical trials. Our providers believe that clinical trials provide answers to clinical questions and advance the understanding and treatment of cancer. The trials PeaceHealth participates in are sponsored by the National Cancer Institute as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, we have open trials for patients with the following cancer types: brain, breast, cancer control, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecologic, head & neck, leukemia, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, multiple disease sites and multiple myeloma. Below is a list of frequently asked questions:

1. Will I be a guinea pig?
   No. There are ethical standards and good clinical practice guidelines in place to ensure patient safety in clinical research. Most of our treatment studies use standard of care treatments with additions or modifications being tested. Details of standard of care treatment and the research piece in question will be spelled out in detail to any patient prior to any research participation.
    
2. Will this cost me money?
   Clinical trial participation will never cost any more than standard of care treatment for the cancer that you have. Insurance will be billed first, but if there are visits or procedures above and beyond the standard of care treatment that insurance does not cover, our clinical trials office will work with financial services and use our clinical trials foundation funds to ensure no extra out-of-pocket costs are incurred by the clinical trials participant. We do not want cost to be a barrier to participation.
    
3. Will I get paid to participate in a clinical trial?
   No, not directly for participation. To remain ethical and not entice patients to participate in trials for financial gain, patients are not paid for their participation in research. However, we do value our patients’ time and when possible patients are given small stipends to cover gas expenses for travel and/or time involved in filling out questionnaires.
    
4. How will I know if I qualify for a trial?
   Patients are encouraged to ask their doctor if they are a candidate for a clinical trial at our facility. Our office also welcomes inquiries by phone 360-788-8240. If we do not have a clinical trial for you at our facility we can search regionally, nationally and internationally for trials that may fit your situation depending on your requests.

Regardless of what kind of cancer a patient has, we will help facilitate the next steps at the right time and at the right place.

If you have specific questions about your condition, please contact your doctor. 

• Bile Duct Cancer
• Bladder Cancer 
• Brain Cancer
• Breast Cancer 
• Breast Cancer in Men (Male Breast Cancer)
• Cervical Cancer 
• Colorectal Cancer  
• Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer
• Gallbladder Cancer
• Gastric Cancer
• Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer​
• Leukemia 
• Liver Cancer
• Lung Cancer 
• Lymphedema
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Oral Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer 
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Skin Cancer, Melanoma  
• Skin Cancer, Nonmelanoma  
• Testicular Cancer  
• Thyroid Cancer​