This February, Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana celebrates one year of caring and connection at Cancer Services West in Warsaw after serving the area for 18 years from the headquarters in Allen County.
Located at 2190 North Pointe Drive, Cancer Services West is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The resource center is staffed by Client Advocates Eva Vega, who is bilingual in English and Spanish and recently completed medical interpretation training, and Becky Kreps, LCSW, OSW-C who provides counseling services to individuals and families touched by cancer. Both are from the local area.
Cancer Services West in Warsaw provides supportive services for families dealing with cancer such as personal advocacy and support, medical equipment and care supplies, wigs and head coverings, financial assistance, and counseling. Recently Cancer Services has added a weekly stress reduction class, quarterly nutrition-focused presentations, and three monthly support groups, according to a news release.
Since opening day, Cancer Services has helped people affected by cancer in and around Kosciusko County in the following ways:
• 155 people visited the location 495 times.
• 16 people impacted by cancer processed their experiences during 95 counseling sessions.
• 3,335 personal care supplies and 357 cases of nutritional supplement drink were distributed to people with cancer.
• 97 wigs and head coverings helped women facing hair loss build confidence.
• 31 pieces of durable medical equipment were loaned out to keep people safe and at home.
• $9,507 in direct financial assistance eased the financial burden of cancer for 70 families.
The addition of this location, which brings critical support services closer to home for many, would not have been possible without a few key funders. The K21 Health Foundation, Kosciusko County Community Foundation and Kosciusko REMC increased their financial support of this mission. The Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation also made a leadership gift and their first donation to support this work.
“Our primary goal in Warsaw was to bring help closer to home for people facing cancer in this community. We knew that the 45-minute-plus drive times made it difficult for people living here to access the full breadth of services we have to offer,” Dianne May, president and CEO, said.
“Shortly after diagnosis people have a lot of practical needs. They need equipment, care supplies, wigs, things like that. But as they move through treatment and into survivorship, they want to meet others who understand the challenges they face,” Marsha Haffner, vice president of mission fulfillment, commented. “In Warsaw, we wanted to offer programs and services that would meet the needs of both of these groups.”
Cancer Services is almost entirely supported by donations and is always in need of volunteers.
Community members interested in making a financial contribution can donate online at https://www.cancer-services.org/. Cancer Services also accepts donations of unopened healthcare supplies (with some exceptions) and new and used durable medical equipment. To volunteer, call 260-484-9560 or complete the online volunteer interest form at https://www.cancer-services.org/get-involved/volunteer/.