Ingalls Memorial Supportive Oncology Services

Lung Cancer Screening Nurse Navigator

UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial offers a Lung Cancer Screening Program for early detection and treatment of lung cancer for all eligible patients. Low-Dose CT Scanning is utilized with adjunct Nurse Navigation for scheduling, referrals, physician communication, patient education and advocacy. For current or former smokers who are interested, please contact your primary care physician or call 708-915-6698 for more information.  

Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator

The Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator is an experienced clinician and personal advocate who will help guide you through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator will help you coordinate appointments and services and help you understand your diagnosis and treatment plan. Call 708-915-6695 for more information.

Our financial navigator helps patients evaluate their healthcare benefits to determine their out-of-pocket costs for treatment and identify resources that can help them lower that amount, which includes:

• Helping them get the most of out of their existing insurance benefits
• Facilitating enrollment in healthcare exchange plans
• Helping them apply for Social Security and disability benefits if appropriate
• Identifying external sources to help cover co-pays and deductibles such as foundation pharmaceutical-sponsored programs, local philanthropic organizations and more.

More importantly, the financial navigator can help relieve financial stress and improve a patient’s access to the care they need. For more information about the Financial Navigation services at UChicago-Ingalls Memorial, call 708-915-6825.

To learn more about our Cancer Care Navigation Services, call 708-915-6649. 

Whether your fight with cancer ended with a clear knockout, or your fight continues to this day and beyond, the UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Cancer Rehab Program is a set of resources to help you minimize cancer's effect in your life. 

Cancer rehabilitation is very similar to other forms of rehabilitation after a serious illness or surgery. Cancer rehabilitation helps with a wide variety of treatment-related conditions and their symptoms, including:

• Pain
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Shoulder problems
• Balance and gait problems
• Memory and concentration issues
• Swallowing
• Speech problems
• Lymphedema
• Anxiety and depression
• Musculoskeletal pain

We are committed to providing you with the expertise to help you thrive. The Cancer Rehab Program provides personalized guidelines, activities, and exercises documented to improve endurance, strength and balance. 

The program is staffed by experienced clinicians, including nurses, dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others who can help you take the next step. Call us at 708-915-MOVE (6683) to schedule an assessment.

Comprehensive cancer rehabilitation services are reimbursed by most insurance plans. We'll be happy to help to review your insurance plan with you to check for specific rehabilitation benefits.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and even surgery can affect your ability to eat food because of the side effects that can be associated with them. Our goal is to work with you to prevent significant malnutrition and loss of muscle mass caused by treatment side effects. Malnutrition can lead to decreased quality of life, an increase in treatment-related side effects, interruptions to cancer treatment, and an increase in hospitalizations.

We encourage you to make an appointment if you have any nutrition-related questions or are experiencing any of these symptoms: 

• Difficulty chewing/swallowing
• Decreased appetite/oral intake
• Dry mouth
• Persistent constipation, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
• Problems with feeding tubes
• Weight loss
• Malabsorption

Nutrition counseling is currently available to UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial cancer patients at no additional cost. Ask your provider to place a referral for nutrition services to schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian nutritionist.

At UChicago Medicine Ingalls, we recognize the critical importance of providing access to healthy food options for patients navigating a cancer diagnosis. Our patients are welcome to visit one of our three Complimentary Nutrition Stations, located at our outpatient clinics in Harvey, Tinley Park and Flossmoor.

In its first four years of existence, this Complimentary Nutrition Stations, supported by the Ingalls Development Foundation, has served nearly 12,000 cancer infusion patients and their families, distributing more than 77,000 pounds of food at no cost.”

For further food assistance, patients may inquire about their eligibility for other programs, such as the Food Brigade and Factor Meals.

Our licensed clinical social workers offer support to help you and your family adjust to diagnosis and treatment, define and maintain your quality of life, and cope with life changes. We work in close collaboration with psychology/psychiatry services. Our team also offers assistance in completing advance directives such as the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.

Our social workers also can provide information and referral for resources related to:

• Cancer support groups and community-based resources
• Financial assistance programs
• Help at home
• Home palliative care or hospice care 
• Information about disability or public benefits 
• Mental health assessment and treatment
• Referrals to cancer center insurance specialists
• Transportation
• Integrated Wellness
• Screening for psychological distress for all new patients
• Identifying appropriate psychological services based on these screens
• Referrals to psychiatric services to address diagnostic and medical management of symptoms
• Managing mood and behavioral symptoms while working with patients to help them cope with cancer

Research shows complementary therapies can help manage common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation by reducing anxiety and pain, boosting energy levels, and alleviating nausea. 

The following cancer comfort treatments are designed to be part of your comprehensive care plan and improve your quality of life: 

• Hand or foot massage
• Reflexology
• Reiki
• Guided meditation
• Auricular ear seeds

Through support from the Ingalls Development Foundation, these free cancer comfort treatments complement your medical care with a goal to help improve cancer patients’ quality of life. 

You can experience the healing benefits of these integrative therapies while receiving your infusion treatment or by scheduling a full 50-minute treatment available one day each week.

Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms and stressors of serious illness. Throughout your treatment, a team of doctors, nurses and other providers delivers this care to improve quality of life for both you and your family. We work closely with the oncology team to provide an extra layer of support and assist with care coordination with other supportive services. Comprehensive palliative care consultation includes assessment and management of patients' needs, including:

• Advance care planning
• Anxiety and depression
• Constipation and diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Physical pain
• Problems with sleep
• Shortness of breath
• Screening and referral for emotional, psychological, spiritual care and financial counseling