Care programs that specialize in addressing the psychosocial, clinical, and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones facing cancer and other life-threatening diseases can have a profound impact. This model – often called supportive care – not only ensures quality, evidence-based clinical care, but it also connects patients and their caregivers to comprehensive psychosocial services that help them navigate their treatment process.

Beginning at intake, a supportive care program can provide cancer patients with comprehensive physical, psychological, social and practical support services that improve outcomes and enable them to maximize their personal and family strengths. They can offer services like care navigation, survivorship programs, specialists in cancer and aging, psychological and spiritual counseling, pain management, and integrative medicine like yoga, massage, meditation, a range of family support and care, and more.

Despite their proven benefits, broad, integrated supportive care programs are not widely available at cancer centers and hospitals around the country for people facing life-threatening illnesses.

We believe that supportive care should be an essential part of cancer care for every patient and family. Access to supportive care programs has a direct impact on patients’ treatment outcomes. Access to supportive care provides a reduction in the length of inpatient stays, hospital readmissions and ICU stays, and an improved quality of life.

How We Advance Supportive Care Programs

Opened in 2008, the City of Hope’s Sheri and Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center integrates all patient support services under one umbrella, and provides patients and their families a warm and welcoming private space to consult with medical staff and explore the many resources offered to strengthen and empower patients and caregivers before, during, and after treatment. To learn more about the City of Hope and the City of Hope’s Sheri and Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center, please click here to visit the City of Hope website and click here to explore the Center on Facebook.

The Supportive Care Training Program has been presented to 36 institutions across 25 cities in six states and two countries.

In May 2022, we announced that we are deepening our partnership with City of Hope to bring supportive care to every cancer patient and creating more equitable access to integrated cancer care. We provided a $10 million gift to expand access to supportive care for patients across its cancer care system, and to advocate for making supportive care the national standard practice for cancer care in the United States. You can read more about City of Hope’s supportive care model and our partnership here.