Spiritual Care Corner

Welcome to the Spiritual Care corner of the Holy Cross Cancer Center Blog. My name is Rev. Joanne Afshar and I am the incoming chaplain for the Cancer Center.  As a Clinical Chaplain in the Spiritual Care Department, I support patients, their families and friends and the staff in meeting their spiritual and religious needs while they are at Holy Cross. My clinical chaplaincy training in the multiple outpatient/inpatient units of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland prepared me well for my current position.

I can assure you that spiritual support is well-integrated into the care provided at Holy Cross. As a point of information, The Joint Commission says: “The hospital accommodates the patient’s right to religious and other spiritual services.” Holy Cross fulfills this directive by providing a team of professionally trained chaplains as part of its effort to provide compassionate care. We respect and honor the spirituality and religious beliefs of all persons we serve in our multi-faith, multi-cultural environment.

Gathering and nurturing the spiritual strength of each person for the work of the present moment is a calling that I love, so please feel free to ask questions of me through this blog, I look forward to the conversation!

Tags: chaplain, clinical chaplain, faith, spiritual, spiritual care, welcome
Posted in Spirituality |

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Holy Cross on You Tube

Here’s a video from our Holy Cross Hospital TV channel on You Tube about the Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital.

Tags: cancer surgery, davinci, video
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support, Gastrointestinal Cancer, General Medical, Lung Cancer, Radiation, Research and Genetics |

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Something Special for Women Battling Breast Cancer

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog.  I hope to make it an educational experience for you. 

My name is Dr. Marnie Santaniello.  I am a breast surgeon who has recently moved from Pennsylvania to join Holy Cross Hospital’s staff.  I completed all of my education in Pennsylvania.  After I graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, I went to Penn State’s College of Medicine in Hershey.  I had a great experience during my general surgery residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, and became board certified in general surgery in 2008.  I realized that as a female surgeon I had something special to offer to women who were battling breast cancer, and I chose to do an additional year of training specifically for the surgical treatment of breast disease. 

Now, I am happy to see women (or men) with any type of breast problem – whether it be cancer, an abnormal mammogram, a new lump, nipple discharge or breast pain.  My primary goal of treatment is to cure the problem, but a secondary goal is to provide my patients with a great cosmetic outcome. 

I also want to take the time to make sure my patients have correct information regarding their specific breast problem.  I’m hoping that this blog may help to dispel some of the myths regarding breast cancer.  So, maybe you have questions about factors that increase your risk of breast cancer, or about when to start getting mammograms, or what to do about a new lump.  I look forward to answering your questions no matter what they are!  

Tags: Breast problems, Cosmetic outcomes, welcome
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, General Medical |

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The 411 On Clinical Trials at Holy Cross

A few weeks ago I discussed Genetics and today I am switching hats and bringing you greetings from myself and my colleagues in the Research Department at Holy Cross Hospital.

We are a group of five research specialists who work together with our Cancer Care Team to find our patients the best in cancer treatment tailored to their specific needs. We have a large slate of clinical trials from which to choose that can take cancer treatment from standard of care in the community to cutting edge research that may offer a better result than could have been expected. And it’s all right here, close to friends and family. Our menu includes both Phase II and Phase III  clinical trials for various types of cancer. Most of our clinical studies come from the Community Clinical Oncology Program funded by the National Cancer Institutes. Others are selectively chosen from industry leaders who are studying promising new drugs which have shown response in earlier trials.

In my future posts on Clinical Trials, I would like to expand on why they are so important to patients as well as the barriers to clinical trial enrollment. In the meantime, please refer to the excellent articles on the National Cancer Insitute website about taking part in Clinical Trials.

Hope you will share with us your clinical trial thoughts and experiences. We know they are not for everyone but for some they are the definitive answer.

Tags: clinical trial, clinical trials, National Cancer Institute, phase II, phase III, research
Posted in Research and Genetics |

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