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Community Health Resource Center and Cancer Care

Cancer services have been an important aspect of CHRC’s services for the past 30 years. CHRC works closely with California Pacific Medical Center’s cancer care services, oncology physicians, radiation/oncology department and chemotherapy infusion center. Each of CHRC’s four service areas include elements of cancer support;

• Behavioral Health Services- offering emotional support as well as resources to those recently diagnosed with cancer and their families.
• Nutrition Services- offering individualized diet planning and counseling on ways to manage a health meal plan through cancer treatments.
• Health Education- Ongoing health education events focused specifically on cancer . See the upcoming “Coping with the Cost of Cancer”.
• Health Screenings- Providing community focused health screenings that encourage people meet with their providers and discuss their health needs, risks and information on a range of services including cancer prevention.

The cancer buddy program is another valuable program organized and run by Community Health Resource Center. Through this program, cancer survivors are matched with those newly diagnosed with cancer. The matching process is based on cancer type and facilitated by CHRC’s team of licensed clinical social workers. Volunteer or “Buddies” represent survivors of 18 different cancer types and who can speak directly from their experience to help answer questions or simply listen. Paired members of the program have become life long friends and in other cases, provide brief answers to specific questions. Through it all, the Buddy Program seeks to help those newly diagnosed with cancer receive guidance and support. The support of Genentech Foundation as well as the Eva McKenzie Charitable Trust had made the services possible.

Community Health Resource Center also is uniquely connected to a variety of resources in the area of cancer support. Dr. Alan Kramer’s documentaries are legendary and have become an integral part of CHRC’s health education services. Through his efforts he has recently organized Living With Cancer Series offering a glimpse of his documentary film work.

• Living with Lung Cancer: The Wells Whitney Story
• Living with Breast Cancer: The Spouse’s Story
• Living with Cancer: Our Pets, our Saviors
• And his work in production, “Living with Cancer: The Clinical Scientist “Thinking Out of the Box”.

Mara Langer, a well known and well respected cancer survivor who has been instrumental in bringing increased awareness to cancer related issues in the Bay Area and beyond recently was published in the New York Times, Well Blogs. This engaging article offers insights and helps bring light to the darkness that cancer can at times represent.

Community Health Resource Center’s staff and board members work tirelessly to help you navigate your individual health needs and goals. Please visit our offices and let us help!