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Guiding Patients Through the Cancer Journey
New Patient Navigator At Davis Hospital Helps Guides Cancer Patients, Families On the Path to Recovery
October 6, 2010
 Because nobody should have to walk alone when they hear the news that they have cancer, Davis Hospital and Medical Center has added a patient navigator – Lori Bodily – to help all of its cancer patients. Bodily’s distinctive role is to help cancer patients and their loved ones find the resources, programs and services that they need.
Previously, Bodily served as the quality of life relationship manager for the American Cancer Society (ACS). While there, she worked extensively with cancer patients and set up ACS programs along the Wasatch Front.
“We are fortunate to have such a highly talented navigator who can assist patients and their families once they receive a cancer diagnosis,” said Michael Jensen, Davis Hospital CEO. “She is an expert at putting together a diagnosis with the appropriate educational and financial resources, which helps cancer patients ease their minds and makes their recovery process a little less stressful.”
While medical experts and oncologists suggest a treatment regimen to help the patient, a patient navigator helps the patient with a list of issues and concerns that are often overlooked, but need to be addressed. As a patient navigator, Bodily’s role at Davis Hospital is to:
- Support women with one-on-one contact via phone and email
- Help a patient move through the continuum of care. This relationship lasts as long as a patient wants
- Provide knowledge of financial, educational, supportive resources on national, state and local levels to eliminate barriers to care
- Function as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team
- Assist patients with appointments
- Provide patient education and reinforcement of teaching
“Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that our cancer patients do not feel isolated or uncertain about how to receive the help they need,” Bodily said. “Although the uncertainties of treatment can be difficult, I can assist them with their non-medical questions, relieve their minds while they undergo treatment, and help them resolve other issues they may encounter.”
In addition to offering a patient navigator, Davis Hospital’s cancer services will also soon offer linear accelerator radiation technology. It will provide treatment similar to Tomotherapy but will be used for patients whose cancer does not require the Tomotherapy treatment. The accelerator can treat simpler types of cancer, such as skin cancer; alleviate pain and symptoms; and provide radiation treatment for palliative care, a form of medical care that works to reduce the pain and discomfort associated with a disease.
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