Navigating through cancer diagnosis and treatment can be confusing and frightening to both the patient and his/her family. However, from the moment you step into the sun-filled atrium at the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center at the Stamford Hospital, you can feel the care and compassion that reside there. Kind volunteers welcome guests and often provide home-made baked goods. Chemotherapy treatments can be conducted in community rooms or in private rooms where families can sit and offer support, Radiation Therapy rooms are warmly decorated  to minimize the anxiety of treatment.  The sounds of soothing music and a waterfall help visitors relax in the garden atrium.   These are just a few of the reasons why the Bennett Cancer is so much more than a cancer treatment facility. It's truly where science and soul come together.

The Bennett Cancer Center provides compassionate, patient-centered care from diagnosis through treatment and post-treatment care. The Center is also dedicated to prevention, education, and the early detection of cancer. A multidisciplinary team of board certified physicians, oncology nurses, and technicians provide advanced surgical, medical, and technological services in a warm, caring environment.

A full range of cancer services are available in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, with the oncology team working together to provide the best possible outcome for our patients. To optimize our patients' convenience, they can receive chemotherapy, radiation therapy and support services, all in one location.

In addition, a variety of support services, including an Integrative Medicine Program, Expression Through Art, and a post-treatment Exercise and Nutrition Program provide our patients with a comprehensive, individualized approach to help them and their loved ones deal with the diagnosis of cancer. Through the generous philanthropic support of Hope in Motion participants and sponsors, these programs are offered at no additional charge to our patients.

As a major research center, the Bennett Cancer Center participates in more clinical trials than any other community hospital in the state.

New Programs established with funds generated by Hope in Motion donations.

Transitions: Choices in Recovery

This is the Bennett Cancer Center's post-treatment survivorship program for patients and families—the first program of its kind in Fairfield County.

Transitions seamlessly guides patients into a life of wellness, offering support and information along the way. Elements of the Transitions program include the development of a Survivorship Plan to outline the patient's diagnosis, treatment, and recommended follow-up. The program also includes recommendations for positive lifestyle changes such as nutrition, exercise, and genetic counseling where appropriate. As a Transitions participant, patients can access a wide variety of programs and activities from Reiki and reflexology to exercise, nutrition, and stress management workshops.

Recognizing that young adults face unique issues following a cancer diagnosis, there is also a special component of the Transitions program to address this group called Moving On. It has been specifically designed for younger patients who are single, married, or married with young children.

Nurse Navigation Program

The Nurse Navigation Program provides a Registered Nurse to guide cancer patients from the moment they are diagnosed, through treatment and recovery to attain the best possible outcomes. The goal is to minimize anxiety and maximize the ability to heal. Our Nurse Navigation Program has been successful in guiding our breast and lung patients through their cancer treatments. This year we will expand our nurse navigation program to genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancer patients. 

Bennett Cancer Center

Bennett Cancer Center Annual Report 08/09

 

Where the Money Goes . . .  

To date, the community's generous support of Hope In Motion has raised over $7 million for the Bennett Cancer Center which allows us to provide patients and families with quality of life programs and services.

Our support helps to fund:

• Integrative medicine: massage, Reiki, reflexology, yoga, and Tai Chi
• Individual and family counseling
• Support groups
• Clinical trials and cancer research
• Exercise and nutrition programs
• Genetic counseling
• Familial colorectal cancer registry
• Patient transportation  
• Patient grants
• Nurse Navigation Programs *
• Transitions: Choices in Recovery *

* These new programs were recently established with funds generated by Hope in Motion donations.