Breast cancer navigator program provides calm in the storm

Jimmie Johnson was devastated six years ago when she heard the words, “You have breast cancer.”

As if the diagnosis wasn’t difficult enough, she then found herself confused by conflicting treatment advice.

The Community Breast Health Navigator and Cancer Support Program provides breast cancer patients with a calm and supportive partner as they go through their care.

To help women in situations similar to Johnson’s, UNMC has received a $56,500 grant from the Nebraska Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support the Community Breast Health Navigator and Cancer Support Program.

Special program

The program provides trained volunteer navigators to accompany patients to appointments at any hospital or clinic in Douglas County.

“This program is one-of-a-kind in that we are training navigators to recognize the best approaches to treating breast cancer,” said Edibaldo Silva, M.D., Ph.D., UNMC surgical oncologist and director of the navigator program. “Navigators also can ask questions patients aren’t comfortable asking. It’s like bringing a family member or friend along to an appointment except the advocate is trained.”

A steady presence

After coming to grips with her diagnosis, Johnson was given the name of Jackie Hill, a UNMC nurse practitioner and breast cancer survivor. Hill helped Johnson navigate the health system and get the right treatment. Now Johnson wants to help others as a community breast health navigator.

“Anytime I would call Jackie, she was there to answer my questions and help me,” Johnson said. “The kindness, compassion and support really makes a difference in what was a difficult situation.”

More help on the way

To date, UNMC has trained 11 women from the Omaha community to serve as navigators and the plan is to serve up to 60 patients in the next year.

Hill and Phyllis Nsiah-Kumi, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine, are co-directors of the grant.

Literacy benefit

The program also benefits patients because it helps increase their health literacy, Dr. Nsiah-Kumi said.

“Health literacy is important to help patients clearly understand the information they are given by their breast cancer providers,” she said. “One of our goals in developing this program is to improve the health literacy of the patients we serve.”