“An Open Ear” Funds Breast Cancer Social Worker to Support Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
NEWARK, NJ (July 3, 2018) - Komen North Jersey, an affiliate of Susan G. Komen® has awarded Newark Beth Israel Medical Center with a $45,000 grant to support “An Open Ear,” a program designed to remove many of the cultural, psychosocial and socioeconomic barriers to receiving timely breast cancer treatment.
The program will fund a Breast Cancer Social Worker (BCSW) at the Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
The social worker will address patients’ cultural fears and concerns about cancer and its treatments; reduce their stress and anxiety; and facilitate obtaining health insurance coverage, accessing community social services, home care and transportation.
“Our social workers are essential members of our multidisciplinary team of hematologists, oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, registered nurses, genetic counselors, patient navigators, nutritionists, and physical therapists. We are all working together to ensure that all of our patients, regardless of race, ethnicity or economic status receive the best medical treatments available,” said Alice J. Cohen, MD, FACP, Director, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Director of the Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.
This program enables patients, who often face socioeconomic barriers to care, to receive timely medical care and to easily navigate through the diagnosis and treatment phases of their illness.
“Komen North Jersey continues to be a valued partner and this gift exemplifies our shared commitment to equity in health care. Together we are eliminating barriers to care at our hospital, reducing health care disparities in our region and providing greater access to excellent patient care and breast cancer treatments,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
“An Open Ear” has been funded by Komen North Jersey since 2002.
For more information about “An Open Ear” at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, please call 973-926-7230.
About Susan G. Komen and Komen North Jersey
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit outside of the U.S. government while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Komen has set a Bold Goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $956 million in research and provided more than $2.1 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs.
Komen North Jersey is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community Through events like the Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure®, Komen North Jersey has invested more than $25 million in local community breast health programs in 9 counties in Northern New Jersey and has helped contribute to the more than $920 million invested globally in research.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is home to one of the nation’s top five heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs more cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs), than any other center in the state. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center provide seamless integration of cancer prevention, specialized care and treatment options. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.
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