The annual Penn’s Way charitable giving campaign officially drew to a close last month, with staff across Pennsylvania Hospital and the health system showing their dedication to serving communities in need and supporting worthy causes. PAH was proud to have so many staff participate and push the health system towards the shared $1.65 million goal and beyond.
In addition to reinforcing Penn Medicine’s collective commitment to organizations in our region and around the world, the campaign offered the opportunity for staff to designate their contributions to PAH’s own Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program at the Abramson Cancer Center.
The Supportive Care Program provides education, programming, and support to patients and families living with, through, and beyond cancer.
Mary Pat Lynch, CRNP, MSN, AOCNP, administrator for the cancer service line, notes that patients and family members dealing with the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis often express interest in participating in the program’s support groups and counseling sessions during treatment, but barriers like physical and mental exhaustion and a lack of time or transportation can complicate things.
“We encourage patients in particular to wait until they’re physically feeling better so they can fully benefit from our programs, but we’re here for them and their families whenever they’re ready,” Lynch said. “We provide up to 12 free sessions with a psychologist to help patients, couples, caregivers, and families work through the emotional and psychosocial effects of a cancer experience, develop coping skills, strengthen relationships, and regain a sense of well-being. Our providers and support staff can refer individuals to our programs — but there unfortunately has been a waitlist.”
Additional funding from the Penn’s Way campaign will allow the Supportive Care team to expand their counseling options and provide help to patients and families when they need it without worrying about capacity. The donations will also support the program’s extensive offerings, such as their quarterly healthy cooking program, Caring Connection online resource platform, and structured project group focused on building and sharing a legacy through personal storytelling.
“While it’s not ideal, experiencing cancer can make people look at life different and deepen relationships between patients and their families. We want to aid them with our range of therapies, groups, workshops, and activities, and the funding from Penn’s Way will help us to support more patients, caregivers, and families in new ways,” Lynch said. “Thank you to everyone who designated their Penn’s Way donations to the Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program!”