Scott Webb (Host): Welcome to UK HealthCast, a podcast from UK HealthCare. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're going to learn about UK Markey Cancer Survivorship Services from the social worker supervisor for Markey, Katie Brown. Katie, it's nice to have you here today. We're going to learn more from you as the social worker supervisor for the Markey Cancer Center. We're going to learn about survivorship and the services that are available.

But before we get to that, just want to have you introduce yourself, tell us about your role at the cancer center, and so forth.

Katie Brown: Sure. Thank you for having me. So again, I'm Katie Brown. I supervise a team of social workers and patient navigators here at Markey. We're responsible for helping patients meet all of the psychosocial type aspects of what they're going through with their appointments here at Markey.

Host: Yeah. And as I said, and I teased there a little bit, we're going to learn more about the, not only the survivorship services, but what survivorship means, like a better understanding of that. So just want to get a sense from you, like what inspired you to focus your work on cancer survivorship?

Katie Brown: so the main reason that I ended up here is, I have history of cancer myself. I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was two, so I have been a cancer survivor for the past 38 years. And, it was always a goal of mine to end up in this realm of healthcare

Host: That's amazing, and I'm so glad to still have you here and to be talking to you, of course. So, let's tell folks, what does that mean, cancer survivorship? Maybe it's implied, but I'd rather hear it from you.

Katie Brown: So, a cancer survivor is anybody who is living with or through or beyond a cancer diagnosis. So, it doesn't mean you have to be done with treatment to have survived cancer. Once you get that diagnosis, anybody living with it is a cancer survivor.

Host: Right. From that point on, you are in fact a survivor. So then, what are some of the biggest challenges maybe that survivors face after treatment ends? And maybe an opportunity here for you to talk about some of the services you offer.

Katie Brown: So, cancer can affect pretty much every aspect of a patient's life, whether that be needing to regain their strength after they've completed treatments, dealing with changes in their physical appearance, working through just that mental aspect of everything they've just gone through. Sometimes it takes until you finish treatment to be able to fully just sit down and take a breath and process, "Wow, I just went through a lot and I need to work through all of that now."

Host: Sure. So then, let's talk then specifically about some of the survivorship services that you and your team offer to folks.

Katie Brown: So, there is, survivorship services available through the clinics. There are APPs in each of our Markey clinics that do more of the clinical side of follow-up after cancer treatments. And then, my team provides the psychosocial support. So, that's connecting them with resources to help meet financial needs, practical needs. Helps with the mental health aspect of everything that they've gone through. We do counseling services and support groups. Pretty much if a need arises that a patient has, my team will do everything they can to research what's out there to help meet that need for them.

Host: Right. Yeah, maybe you can just discuss a little bit the different types of support that are available.

Katie Brown: So specifically right now, we have a cancer survivorship support group. One of our social workers leads that and just walks through that journey with the patients and helps them process everything that they've been through. We have individual counseling available through our team as well.

We have four LCSWs who provide those counseling services, and that is free of charge for patients, as well as caregivers. That's available to the support people for the patients as well. We are also working on a cancer survivorship wellness series, so a series throughout the remainder of this year with different topics each month, just touching on certain aspects of things that may be helpful for patients as they're coming out of those treatments.

Host: Right. Yeah. And speaking of patients, just wondering who's eligible. Is everyone eligible? Is that how that works or are there certain criteria maybe?

Katie Brown: Yes. Anybody who is a patient here at Markey is eligible to participate in these support services. We also have some patients from outside of Markey who have joined our support groups

Host: Yeah, and I think you've covered this, but I wanted to make sure I touch on this again. Do patients need to be finished with treatment to begin receiving survivorship support?

Katie Brown: They do not.

Host: Okay. So, let's talk then more about the wellness series you touched on just a little bit. You teased there a little bit, we call it in the business. But let's get more into it. Like, what can patients expect?

Katie Brown: We have four more sessions scheduled for the remainder of this year. In September, we're doing one on narrative medicine, helping patients navigate their relationships after diagnosis. In October, we're doing one called Restoring Confidence that talks about hair regrowth after treatment and wigs and head coverings, things like that.

November is a Tai Chi session, which can be really beneficial for patients in survivorship just to help regain some of that physical strength. And then, in December, we're doing one on cognitive restoration. Chemo can really cause what we call chemo brain, just that mental fog. And so, this is a workshop that we're going to have that goes into next year that helps just with that mental restoration for patients.

Host: I never heard that before, chemo brain. I mean, it makes total sense. I've heard about the fog before, but referred to as chemo brain. So obviously, lots of benefits in this Cancer Survivorship Wellness series. You know, when we think about the benefits, do you feel like—I mean, there's probably never a bad time to do Tai Chi, but I can see why that would be beneficial. Maybe you can just kind of talk about some of the benefits that folks get from this.

Katie Brown: Some of these sessions we set up just to make sure that patients know the services that are available here at Markey. A lot of these different groups that we have presenting for these sessions offer services all of the time here at Markey. So, this is kind of a preview into some of those services that are available on an ongoing basis for patients.

That was our main focus in choosing some of the topics that we did so that patients can see if it's something that would be helpful for them, and then we'll get them connected after the session to continue on with those services.

Host: Right. Yeah and speaking of connected, you used that word there. Just wondering how do folks do that? How do they connect with the Survivorship Services?

Katie Brown: So, they can ask about it while they're here for clinic appointments. All of the staff in the clinics knows how to reach out to myself or my team to connect them with a social worker. They can see a list of all of the services available on Markey's website as well. We have flyers posted around the clinics of some of the different support groups and the wellness series with information available. There's links and QR codes on those flyers so that they can connect to registration for the different groups. And most patients that have had any kind of touch base with a social worker throughout their appointments at Markey have a direct line for a social worker. So if they're already connected with a social worker, they can ask them about how to get connected with any of these services as well.

Host: Sure. That's perfect. Well, it's been great having you on today, learn more about the services that you offer and the benefits for folks. If you could leave cancer survivors with one message of encouragement, Katie, what would it be?

Katie Brown: I think the biggest thing would just be to never hesitate to ask for or accept help that's being offered to you. Going through a cancer diagnosis can be such a difficult and oftentimes isolating feeling experience. But there are so many ways that you can be supported through it. So, my team and all of the staff at Markey are here to help in any way that we can.

Host: Yeah, it sure sounds like it. Well, appreciate your time, your expertise, your compassion today. Hope folks appreciated this. Thanks so much.

Katie Brown: Thank you.

Host: And for more information, visit markey.uky.edu. And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast from UK HealthCare. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other UK HealthCare podcasts. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well.