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ministers to children with cancer and their families from the time they are first informed of the diagnosis. This person provides not only counseling, but also spiritual guidance, sympathetic companionship, crisis intervention and, if needed, bereavement counseling.
The Nurse Practitioner fills a vital role for the hospital and Pediatric Oncology medical team. A nurse practitioner is a nurse with advanced training who functions on a level between doctors and nurses. She sees patients, helps make diagnoses, prescribes medication and makes treatment suggestions to attending doctors. This added presence means less waiting time for children and their families on clinic visits and offers another point of contact.
The Child Life Therapist is a member of each child's health care team, working to reduce the fear and anxiety that often accompany treatment and helping patients and their families cope with the stress of illness. During long hours spent in the clinic, the child life therapist provides supportive intervention, as well as educational and therapeutic play. Children are encouraged to express themselves through play, using toys to demonstrate their feelings about medical treatments and procedures.
Program Coordinator assists with support services aimed at maintaining and enhancing programs and services offered to children with cancer and their families. The Program Coordinator is fully responsible for the implementation of the Family to Family support group which pairs families of newly diagnosed children with families who have had exprience with the childhood cancer treatment process. She also connects 20-30 year old survivors socially as well as providing them with educationally resources and activities.
ASK's Child Life Program is run by a full-time Child Life Therapist who works in the ASK Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. The program's child life therapist and volunteers serve as the children's advocates, helping them maintain contact with their friends back home and celebrating milestones of their childhood.
`During long hours spent in the clinic, the child life therapist provides supportive intervention, as well as educational and therapeutic play. Children are encouraged to express themselves through play, using toys to demonstrate their feelings about medical treatments and procedures.
ASK's Child Life Program strives to provide as many normal life experiences as possible during treatment and offer opportunities for cancer patients and their families to forget about their disease and enjoy life.
| The organization organizes events such as: |
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Day at Kings Dominion |
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“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” – a salon day for teen girls. |
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“Boys Will Be Boys” – a laser tag and sporting event for teen boys. |
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Family Picnic |
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Easter at the Zoo |
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Christmas in July |
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Holiday Party |
Monthly birthday parties, annual high school graduation ceremonies, and weekly celebrations for successful treatments are ongoing. ASK also partners with Special Love and Smile Buddies for additional social support and activities.
Association for the Support of Children (ASK) has realized the need to develop additional supportive services for young children whose preschool or kindergarten experience has been postponed or interrupted during medical treatment. First STEP offers an individualized early childhood educational program for ASK Pediiatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic patients and families. First STEP is especially designed to meet the unique educational, social and emotional needs of young childres with chronic illnesses as they go through the process of healing. This program is provided though the partnership with First Baptist Weekday School. Contact Leslie Wright, ASK Program Coordinator, for further information or enrollment details.
Young Adult Survivors Group connects 20-30 year old childhood cancer survivors for educational and social support. The group directs it's attention to the needs of teens and young adults after their cancer treatments are complete. They tackle medical, social, psychological, employment and insurance issues that may affect them as they mature. An annual young adult retreat is planned for January 2007. For more information about the group please contact Leslie Wright, ASK Program Coordinator.
The Family-to-Family Program provides a four-pronged approach to helping families connect within the hospital setting and providing them with support. Upon diagnoses, a family is assigned a parent whose child has already undergone treatment for the same or similar type of cancer. New families are also invited to a monthly drop-in support group open to all parents. A parent message board gives parents a chance to exchange information and ask questions within their own timeframe. The final component of the Family-to-Family Program is a short, monthly newsletter which provides practical advice, clinic news (i.e. upcoming Child Life events and activities, off-treatment announcements, etc.) and personal stories.
The Chaplain provides counseling, spiritual guidance, sympathetic companionship, and crisis intervention to children with cancer and their families. Recognizing the heavy financial toll that a diagnosis of cancer can have on a family, the Chaplain also administers ASK's Chaplain Fund, supported through the
Brett
Jones Memorial Foundation. This account is designed to help families in crisis pay for items such as rental and/or mortgage payments, utility bills, overnight hotel stays, parking and meal tickets, groceries and funeral expenses.
In 2002, ASK renovated a space in the VCU Health System's Nelson Building to create the ASK Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. This child-friendly space was designed to create a warm and home-like atmosphere. The center includes the addition of a special-equipped room for critically ill children and also a Family Consultation Room for medical staff and families to meet. The new space includes a well-stocked playroom full of toys and video games for younger children as well as computers for older children. Child-sized furniture fills the playroom and waiting areas and playful artwork adorns the walls. This space received the Top Ten Most Innovative Facilities Award in 2003 from the Center for Innovative Healthcare Facilities.
In the fall of 2004, ASK began working with the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit to create a pediatric-friendly atmosphere in five existing rooms. The space will include two in-patient rooms, an exam room, an infusion room and a family lounge, all designed in a kid-friendly and home-like atmosphere similar to the ASK Clinic.
Each September, ASK recognizes Childhood Cancer
Month with a portrait display honoring the courageous spirit of
children with cancer. The children are proud of their portraits and
gain confidence in their appearance through the process. Various
venues in the Richmond area host the display giving more visibility
to ASK and our mission as well as promote awareness of childhood
cancer.
A fun and dynamic physical fitness program to help
survivors improve strength, mobility, coordination, endurance,
balance, and self-esteem for cancer survivors. This program is
coordination with the YMCA.
In partnership with Alma Morgan, Educational
Consultant, ASK helps sponsor an annual graduation luncheon and
ceremony for graduating high school cancer survivors. Additionally,
through generous donations, ASK is able to give graduates a
scholarship for continuing education.
| ASK partners with the following hospital professionals to provide additional services: |
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Art therapist through the “Living Well Program” |
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Music therapist |
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Educational consultant |
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Social Worker |
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