Pratt Center Patient & Family Resources

Our nurse navigators work with patients and their families to help coordinate cancer care and support resources. They turn overwhelming or complex information into easy-to-understand guidance patients can use.

Nurse navigators are trained oncology nurse specialists and will become dedicated members of your care team. Their focus is on personalized, patient-centered care. Each nurse navigator will also serve as a resource and information specialist. After assessing patients' individual needs, they will provide:

• Customized resource information
• Cancer educational materials
• Connections with social workers, dietitians, chaplains and integrative medicine, which focuses on a patient’s spiritual and emotional health as well as physical well-being
• Recommendations for Mercy services such as acupuncture, massage, healing touch and oncology rehabilitation
• Access to local community resources

Oncology Nurse Navigators:

• GI cancers: Katie Manaois
• GU cancers: Alicia Smith
• GYN cancers: Shannon Vohsen
• Lung cancer: Dawn Campbell
• All other cancers: Meghan Carter

Breast Cancer Nurse Navigators:

• Erica Bernat
• Nicole Gurley
• Marianna Hopkins
• Amy Mahlin

Before, during and after treatment, patients will have different nutrition concerns to address, such as weight loss or gain. A clinical registered and licensed dietitian is available to help with these concerns.
 

Dietitian services are free of charge for all David C. Pratt Cancer Center patients at any point during their care. Mercy’s oncology dietitians provide:

• Guidance on how to maintain and gain weight as needed for radiation and chemotherapy treatments
• Education on eating healthy for those interested in adjusting their diet before, during or after treatment
• Weight loss education for patients looking to lose weight following treatment
• Therapeutic diet education for cancer patients with diabetes, decreased kidney function and difficulty swallowing
• Diet education for GI-related cancers and related diets, such as a low-fiber diet
• General information about any nutrition concerns you have before, during and after treatment

Oncology Dietitians:

• Elizabeth Collins
• Katie Winzenburger

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, there's a lot of emphasis placed on that person’s physical well-being: treatments and their side effects, office visits and tests. But we know other parts of our patients' lives are affected by cancer, too: self-image, work, family, friendships and daily living.
 

Oncology social workers understand the complex issues caused by living with a cancer diagnosis. They help patients, families and caregivers face cancer with confidence. They're specially trained to assist with the psychological, social, emotional and spiritual issues people face with a cancer diagnosis.

Social workers are there to assist patients with practical needs, such as finding resources within the hospital and community. They also help with more complex needs, such as adjusting to illness, making difficult decisions and communicating with family members.

Our team of experienced social workers can meet with cancer patients and family members individually or as a group. They're available to provide this free support in-person or virtually. They also run support and education groups while working as a part of the larger oncology care team.
 

Oncology Social Workers:

• Kerry Kopas
• Molly Hilsabeck

With advances in technology, Mercy continues to stay at the forefront of innovation and now offers leading-edge MEVION proton beam therapy. Proton therapy is an option for both adult and childhood cancers. It uses a powerful cyclotron to produce proton particles that precisely target cancer tumors. The charged particles damage the DNA of cancer cells, stopping the reproduction and ultimately destroying them. One of the primary benefits of proton therapy is the reduction or elimination of unwanted radiation exposure to surrounding, healthy tissue.
 

The CyberKnife robotic radiation treatment system provides state-of-the-art radiation therapy. Fewer treatments are required, and they're delivered in dynamic fashion with extreme accuracy. We've seen a remarkable increase in the field of targeted therapies as well. Multiple IV immunotherapy options, as well as oral targeted medications, have translated into not only improved patient response rates and survival but less toxicity as well. We also have a robust research program that continues to offer our patients access to the latest emerging treatment options in the context of many ongoing clinical trials.