Join Atrium Health Navicent in Observing Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month
Pediatric physicians at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital encourage the community to join them in observing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
This month is a time to honor children with cancer, childhood cancer survivors, children who have passed away from cancer, their families, and all of the health care providers, researchers and caregivers who are dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer.
After accidents, childhood cancer remains the second leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 14, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). The most common types of cancer diagnosed among children from birth to 14 years are leukemias, brain and other central nervous system tumors, and lymphomas.
For children coping with cancer in central and south Georgia, Atrium Health Navicent Children's Care Pediatric Oncologyoffers world-class cancer care close to home. The family-oriented pediatric oncology program is able to diagnose and treat various pediatric cancers including leukemias, lymphomas, tumors of the liver, kidneys, bone, muscle and nerve tissue. Affiliated with the Children’s Oncology Group, Atrium Health Levine Children’s is able to offer the latest in clinical trials, closer to home.
Atrium Health Navicent HOPE for Kids — Hematology Oncology Place of Excellence for Kids — offers outpatient clinic services for children with cancer and blood disorders. The center believes that care for complicated medical conditions such as cancer should be delivered in a comfortable environment close to home. The facility is equipped with an onsite laboratory, infusion center, educational library, playrooms as well as child life specialists and family therapists.
Some of the services offered at HOPE for Kids include:
• Medical play, supported by certified child life specialists, to help patients become familiar with medical equipment and procedures such as blood draws and port-a-cath accesses
• Support and distraction to help children cope during blood draws and port-a-cath accesses
• Pediatric chemotherapy provided by certified nurses
• Diagnostic teaching to help patients understand cancer and blood disorders on their developmental level
• Sibling support to help siblings cope with having a brother or sister with a chronic illness
• Normalization activities such as video games and arts and crafts to help patients and families feel comfortable while receiving treatments
Additional inpatient services, including inpatient hospital care, surgery, pathology, pharmacy, radiology and radiation oncology, sedation, and care provided by chemotherapy certified nurses, is available on the same campus at Atrium Health Levine Children’s.
The care team at HOPE for Kids believes that special moments are meant to be celebrated. When a child completes cancer treatment, they are treated to a special “bell ringing celebration” to mark the occasion! This celebration, which is shared with doctors, nurses, family and friends, signifies their victory and progression to post-treatment life.
“Families can rest easy knowing they don’t have to travel far for cancer care and access to clinical trials for their children,” said Dr. Sushmita Nair, an Atrium Health Navicent pediatric hematology and oncology specialist. “At Atrium Health Levine Children’s, central and south Georgia’s only dedicated pediatric hospital, we don’t treat children like tiny adults. This facility is specially designed to tailor care to children’s bodies and their needs. Children and their families are at the center of everything we do, from diagnosis and treatment to the amazing bell-ringing celebrations we use to mark their transition into life after treatment.”
Atrium Health Navicent also provides care for south Georgia children battling cancer at the Phoebe Pediatric Specialty Clinic in Albany as part of a partnership to provide access to expanded services, including virtual and in-person pediatric specialty consultations, the most advanced pediatric diagnostics available and the latest state-of-the-art medical treatments close to home. For more information about HOPE for Kids, call 478-633-2694. For help finding a doctor, or to learn more about children’s services, visit childrenshospitalnh.org.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.