How to Prepare Yourself or a Loved one for Treatment

As you or a loved one prepare for cancer treatment, it is important to know there is a team of experts by your side to help guide you through the process.

Your cancer care team will include nationally-certified radiation therapists, a certified dosimetrist, a physicist, oncology nurses, and board-certified doctors, all working together to design your highly-specialized treatment plan. Cancer Patient Navigators are also here to help answer your questions, develop a personalized plan of action, and connect you to additional resources, information, and support.

In San Joaquin County, Tumor Boards are regularly held, when physicians from different specialties and aspects involved discuss the cases together to come up with the best possible diagnosis and treatment plan.

Through the multidisciplinary approach with diagnoses and treatment strategies for cancer patients in the community, patients receive immediate access to state-of-the-art technology. “The thing that sets us apart is the academic-quality of oncology practice, with a community feel,” said Dr. Gauravjit Singh, MD, Radiation Oncology, St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Through precise radiation therapy and precision oncology, your care team is able to target your treatment with little collateral damage. With recent advancements in technology, radiology now has less side effects and less impact to the patient due to this precision therapy.

“It is not just about the treatment, but everything that affects your treatment – nutrition, social work, a support group,” said Art Hill, Cancer Center Director at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. The navigators follow the patients before, during and after the treatment to ensure they get the resources that they need. The St. Joseph’s Cancer Center offers a holistic approach to treatment, providing nutritional services, social services, and nurse navigation to help facilitate your healing - mind, body, and soul.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, St. Joseph’s Medical Center Cancer Patient Navigators are here for you and your family. Please call (877) 581-0267 to be connected with a navigator.