Rhea…our Financial and Support Services Supervisor!

Meet Rhea, our Financial and Support Services Manager.  She provides leadership and direction to our clerical team. 

Rhea started her career in the summer of 2000. According to Rhea, she always knew that she wanted to work in a hospital setting because it provides her with opportunities to have exposure to the different types of roles and job functions in healthcare. She chose Oncology because of her personal experience of dealing with cancer through loved ones. Rhea states, “I am very compassionate about helping others and doing my part to help make the burden of this difficult journey a little easier. I love being able to help people understand their billing statements and insurance correspondence. I want to make sure that they realize that there are different resources available to assist them with paying their bill. I don’t want them to have to stress about how they are going to pay but instead spend more time taking care of themselves so that they can receive the full benefit of their treatments. I always make sure that I put the patient first; always making time for them and never making them feel as if they are an inconvenience to me.”

When she is not at work she most enjoys spending time with her family. “I really enjoy being around my family, especially all of the children. I really enjoy singing and I pretty much sing every day of my life. I’m an easygoing person that appreciates a quiet night at home, with a good book to read.”

I asked her what was something most folks wouldn’t know about her and boy was I shocked at her answer! She stated, “I’m probably the biggest UFC mixed martial art fan EVER. I could watch UFC endlessly and it’s a personal goal of mine to one day attend a live fight in Las Vegas!”

You can be assured, whether your need is for billing assistance or financial aid resources, Rhea’s warm smile and friendly attitude will put you at ease.

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

Meet Shirley….our Physicist!

Each week I am going to introduce you to our staff so that you will be more familiar with all wonderful and talented individuals at Randolph Cancer Center who have made it their life’s work to take care of you.  This week, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Shirley our physicist.  She is one of the few staff who work primarily behind the scenes to ensure your care is the best it can be.

“ I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

I am not sure why I was asked to do the first of 25 staff blogs within our organization, but I  have to assume it is because most people, even my friends and family have no idea what I do.  I was a college dropout that eventually went on to become a Medical Radiation Physicist.  At this point, you have probably started looking for other things to read.  “Medical Radiation Physicist” sounds boring, even to me.  I did not choose to be a Radiation Physicist, but rather grew into it.

Like most people, I knew little about medicine, radiation or physics when I entered the Radiologic Technologist Program at Moses Cone Hospital many years ago. I choose the program because they paid a small stipend which would help finance my college education and they also provided a low cost place to live. The prior couple of semesters of college provided me with no real vision of what I wanted to major in (certainly not physics) and I was anxious to be all grown up.  After all, I was making some money and I had a place to live.  

One requirement of the RT Program was to spend time in the Radiation Oncology Department.  Radiation Oncology was then considered a specialty branch of Radiologic Technology and additional training was required to become certified in the treatment of cancer patients.  Hence, I entered the Radiation Oncology Technology Training program at UNC.  About the same time I finished the Radiation Oncology program, I finally completed an undergraduate degree. It only took me 6 years but my parents were happy.

Sacramento, California offered me the opportunity to be the Director of the School for Radiation Oncology Technology and Medical Dosimetrist. As Director of a training program I was asked to submit questions for the first certification test offered by the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board.   Might add that I also took the first test and passed it.  Is that cheating?

UNC-CH had one of the few graduate programs in Radiation Physics and was my ticket back to NC. I actually was considering applying for Medical School, but was told that I needed more physics courses.  In graduate school I heard a story about a college physics professor explaining a particularly complicated concept when a pre-med student interrupted him.  “Why do we have to learn this stuff?”  “To save lives,” the professor responded.  “So how does physics save lives?” asked the student.  The professor thought for a while and continued “Physics saves lives because it keeps certain people out of medical school.”   Graduate school in physics was not fun or something that I want to repeat.   For the first time in my life, I actually used every single function on my calculator, the “fun” center of my brain deteriorated from lack of use and I found that I could do vector analysis but forgot how to do long division.  Most of my classmates went into nuclear power but I stuck with the medical field.  I still have a job, so good decision.

After completion of the graduate program (another 3 years), I became a consultant in Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Oncology for a large portion of coastal North Carolina.

Now I am employed by Moses Cone Hospital as a Medical Radiation Physicist in a joint venture with Randolph Cancer Center.  When I left Moses Cone over 30 years ago who knew I would be coming back.

According to the American Association of Physicist in Medicine, medical physicist “assure the safe and effective delivery of radiation” in the diagnosis or treatment of a patient, as prescribed by a physician .Physicist are involved in radiation beam measurements and quality assurance including calibrating the radiation therapy equipment and ensuring the equipment functions correctly and safety.  This ensures that the correct doses are delivered to the patients, and that the equipment can be operated safety by the personnel. 

Patients seldom know that we exist, but we know each and every one of them.  All patients’ charts are reviewed before they start treatment, at least weekly during treatment and after they finish treatment.  The biggest challenge is that a single mistake by a medical physicist can impact many, so it’s an emotionally tough job.  The biggest reward is that I never grow bored with the field, learn something everyday and leave each day feeling that I have contributed.

Bogue is my baby dog and he and my husband are the love of my life.  Like me, he has no special talents, but is passionately curious.

Happy New Year!

Ever wonder about the history of New Year’s celebrations and traditions?  I did a little digging and found a wonderful history written by Gary Ryan Blair on-line.  Interestingly, he notes that “the celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.”

While March would be a logical choice for starting the New Year in an agricultural society, he notes it was the Romans that actually declared 1/1 to the beginning of the New Year.

Just for fun I’ve listed a few of the Good Luck Traditions observed around the world that I thought would be of interest to you.

AUSTRIA – The suckling pig is the symbol for good luck for the new year. It’s served on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND – The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing gifts. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the master. For good luck, the guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.

WALES – At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year’s Day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year.

SICILY – An old Sicilian tradition says good luck will come to those who eat lasagna on New Year’s Day, but woe if you dine on macaroni, for any other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN – In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year’s custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the year. But in Peru, a 13th grape must be eaten to assure good luck.

GREECE – A special New Year’s bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ child, the second for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house. If the third slice holds the coin, spring will come early that year.

JAPAN – The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition, kadomatsu, consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility.

CHINA - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to cut the family’s good luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES – The kiss shared at the stroke of midnight in the United States is derived from masked balls that have been common throughout history. As tradition has it, the masks symbolize evil spirits from the old year and the kiss is the purification into the new year.

NORWAY – Norwegians make rice pudding at New Year’s and hide one whole almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person whose serving holds the lucky almond.

What New Year’s traditions do you observe?  Do you make resolutions/goals for the coming year?  2010 is a fresh new year, full of possibilities.  No matter what your circumstance why not take a few minutes to put pen to paper and list your goals, dreams, and desires for this year. 

At the Randolph Cancer Center we offer a journally club for patients and their families.  We provide the materials and assistance to get started on documenting your journey.  Ask one of our staff for your FREE journal at your next visit and get started.  You’ll be glad you did!

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

2009 Annual Report

Each year we provide details about the Cancer Center’s quality initiatives, goals, clinical studies, and review of all new and improved services.   I encourage you to take a look at this year’s report to see for yourself all the great things being done for the patients and their families.  The report is available on our website at www.randolphcancercenter,org .  2009 was a historic year both in terms of numbers of patients and new services provided.  We are confident 2010 will continue in the tradition of excellence. 

From all the physicians and staff at the Cancer Center, we wish you and yours a very joyful holiday season!

Holiday Stress

Is it just me or are you feeling like the pace of life exponentially increased right after Thanksgiving.  I know at the Randolph Cancer Center we are feeling it with an increase in patient visits, holiday celebrations, and staff vacations.  It is a time of year when our emotions are also on overdrive.  Hope, sadness, excitement, grief, and so much more can often wear us down. 

This week, I came across a website that addresses this season and all that it brings and thought you might find comfort in it.  http://www.cancer.net/ is a site developed and maintained by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.     Our physicians are members of ASCO and are confident with the materials and information this group provides.  The home page layout is user friendly and provides simple navigation tools to make finding the information easy.  While you are there, sign up for their monthly e-newsletter.

It is our hope that you and your family find joy and peace in the simple things…things that matter like family, friends, and shared experiences.  An evening at home watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” could provide just the medicine needed to ease anxiety and relieve holiday stress.  Add a warm fire and cup of hot chocolate and you’ll have a bit of heaven on earth!

May the love of this season provide you with memories of a lifetime.

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

A Season of Reflection….

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the fall colors, holiday music, and most of all the food that is part of the Thanksgiving celebration.   Spending time with family and friends around a table filled with all kinds of yummy goodies is just heaven to me.  This is also a time for reflecting on the past year’s challenges, struggles, and hopefully accomplishments.  For some, this past year celebrated a milestone as a cancer survivor and for others it may have been the year they received their cancer diagnosis.

As I walked through our Cancer Center I stopped and read (again) a wonderful framed work from one of our patients written by her father who was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  I thought it would be appropriate to share with you thoughts from someone who was able to take his cancer diagnosis and find joy, love, and peace through it all.

WHAT THE KNOWLEDGE OF CANCER BRINGS

A keener perception of the beauty around us

A deeper appreciation of love

An added pleasure in the little things of life that we took for granted before

A new joy in and thankfulness for each additional day granted us

An end to the tenseness that comes from striving for such worthless things as money and power

A great satisfaction in bringing happiness to those around us

A clearer view of the great evening star – Faith

A strengthened feeling of nearness to God.

Written by Lt. Gen. Richard E. Nugent, USAF (Ret.) submitted by his loving daughter, Ginny

May this season be one filled with joy, love, and peace for you and your family. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember, eat well and live strong!

Happy RT Week!

Today we celebrated National Radiology Technology week by hosting a breakfast honoring our Therapists, Dosimetrist, and Physicist.  I thought it would be appropriate to introduce you to our staff and their role in patient care.

First, let’s start with our Radiation Therapist.  We have three; Kevin, Mandy, and Susan and between them they have 50 years of combined experience.  A bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or certificate in radiation therapy is generally a requirement in this field.

As part of our medical radiation oncology team, our radiation therapists use the linear accelerator to administer radiation treatment to our patients.  The first step in the radiation therapy process is simulation. During simulation, the radiation therapist uses a CT scan to pinpoint the location of the tumor. The therapist then positions the patient and adjusts the linear accelerator so that, when treatment begins, radiation exposure is concentrated on the tumor cells.

Then our dosimetrist, Jennifer, develops a treatment plan in conjunction with a radiation oncologist.  Jennifer calculates the dose of radiation that will be used for treatment and sends this information to the computer which controls the linear accelerator.  There are many checks and balances in this process to insure the radiation delivered is exactly what the physician prescribed. 

Another important member of our team is Shirley, our physicist.  She provides oversight to our radiation program, conducts quality checks of the treatment plans, equipment, and insures our compliance with all state, federal, and regulatory agency rules. 

You can rest assured if you need radiation treatment, the Randolph Cancer Center has the experienced staff you need close to home.

Check out this website for more information http://www.satro.org/about_satro.php

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

Patient Assistance Fund

Did you know that Randolph Cancer Center has a Patient Assistance Fund?  You probably didn’t as we don’t often publicize it enough.  But that’s all about to change.

The Patient Assistance Fund was set up years ago through a grant from the Randolph Hospital Community Health Foundation.  The intent was to provide limited financial assistance for cancer center patients with things like prescriptions, transportation, and even food.  We all know how expensive cancer treatments can be but for some the financial burden is overwhelming.

Can you image needing a medication for nausea but not being able to afford it? What about a pain medication? What if you had to choose between food for your family and one of these drugs?  What if you couldn’t afford the gas to get your treatment? That’s what this fund is for, paying for an immediate need until a more permanent solution can be found.   There are many resources out in the community but the application process can be anywhere from a week or two.  Depending on the circumstance, many of our patients just can’t wait that long.

So, how do they tap into this resource? Easy, once our staff, physicians, or social workers become aware of the need, we meet it….simple as that.  If a prescription is needed, we contact a local pharmacy, determine the cost, and write a check payable to the pharmacy for the patient.   Our close relationships with our local pharmacies help us to make what was an overwhelming problem for the patient a non-issue.  If they need gas money….we give it to them.  But we don’t stop there.  Our social workers step in and assist the patient with completing the necessary paperwork for any applicable patient assistance programs available.

You cannot imagine the impact of being able to offer someone who is choosing between heat and prescriptions a way to have both….it will move you to tears!

Today, the Patient Assistance Fund is running very low because the needs of our patients are increasing.  If you are interested in making a donation (which is tax deductible) make your check payable to the Randolph Cancer Center Patient Assistance Fund.  We will acknowledge your gift with a thank you card and at the end of the year provide you with documentation of your contribution for tax purposes.  Our address is 373 N. Fayetteville St., Asheboro, NC 27203.  100% of all donations go directly for patient needs.

There a many other ways you can assist.  Some folks choose to ask family and friends to make donations to the Patient Assistance Fund in lieu flowers when a loved one passes away.  Other folks time their donations around birthdays, anniversaries or other important dates.  Whatever the method, just know you are making a difference in the lives of those in your community.

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

 

Flu Season Is Here! Are You Prepared?

Unless you are living under a rock somewhere, you have been inundated with news coverage about this year’s early flu season.  Specifically, we are being told it is the H1N1 flu that is being seen this early as the normal seasonal flu does not strike this early in the season.  Thousands have already been infected; in fact we have had it at my house already.  And, it’s spreading all over the country like wildfire.  Take a look at this graph comparing last year to this year:

Google has a really cool interactive chart comparing this year to any number of years in the past.  I encourage you to visit it….here’s the link:  http://www.google.org/flutrends/

As a cancer patient, your immunsystem may not be working at full steam so you will want to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick.  The CDC as well as our Oncology team of physicians strongly urges you to get immunized against both the H1N1 and seasonal flu. While the H1N1 nasal spray has been widely publicized, our physicians recommend that you opt instead for the injectable (shot) form.  The difference in between the two is easy, the shot form has inactivated (or killed virus) and the spray has a very weakened form of the live virus. 

Either vaccine should provide protection against the flu in just a couple of weeks….so the sooner you get the vaccines the sooner you will be protected.

There are some folks that should not get the shot.  Here’s a listing I pulled from the CDC’s website:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
• Children younger than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.) 

 Be sure to check with your physician before getting the vaccine to make sure it’s appropriate for you.   

The CDC has a wonderful website I encourage you to take a look at for more information about the flu and other illnesses.  Here’s the link:  www.cdc.gov.

Until next week, eat well and live strong!

 

United Way at Randolph Cancer Center and RH!

This past week has been a challenge in the Cancer Center balancing our normal work duties with our United Way fundraising events.   Normally our focus is patient care and all the components which contribute to the patient’s experience.  But this week (as well as some of last week) was spent focusing on the community and the needs of those who live in Randolph County.

Kicking off this year’s campaign was our Agency Fair and Department Basket Raffle.  For $1, staff could purchase a raffle ticket for the basket of their choice which was filled with all kinds of goodies.  Each basket was located at a specific agency’s table which provided that agency an opportunity to educate our staff on their services and needs for the coming year.

In true Randolph Hospital fashion, our staff and physicians stepped up to the challenge purchasing hundreds of tickets and meeting many of the faces of United Way.  Of course, the fact we offered free popcorn and soft drinks probably didn’t hurt either.

Then throughout the week, agencies had the opportunity to meet our staff in their work environment pushing a snack cart and distributing their agency literature.  The cart was filled with apples, bananas, granola bars, baked chips, and soft drinks.  Many looked forward to the morning and afternoon snack cart rounds as a way to get a healthy snack and support our United Way campaign.

Our fundraising efforts culminated in the first ever Randolph Hospital Talent Show starring our very own staff who obviously had talent!  Contestants put on the best of show in hopes of winning our $100 prize.  While everyone was a hit…our judges were able to make a decision and selected Maria Koenig as the winner.

Throughout the fun and prizes, there was a sense of commitment to do our part to help those who needed a little extra this year.  Our hope and prayers are for a better economic year in 2010!

Until next week, eat well and live strong!