While Dr. Sidney Farber revolutionized cancer care globally with chemotherapy, his core philosophy of “Total Patient Care” was equally groundbreaking. Today, that philosophy, in which all patient services are provided in one place and decisions are made as a team with the patient, is at the heart of all we do.
This unique and compassionate approach has not gone unnoticed. Dana-Farber has been awarded Magnet® status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center four times, a prestigious designation recognizing excellence in nursing practice and health care delivery. Such an honor has been awarded to only 8 percent of hospitals in the U.S. Our adult and pediatric care programs are consistently ranked among the top programs in the U.S. and globally.
Cancer affects families and can derail lives in ways that extend beyond the medical, disrupting relationships, educational plans, careers and finances. Patients can face debilitating symptoms that make them feel like their health is beyond their control. Dana-Farber provides an array of services to combat these challenges.
Through the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living, we offer patients acupuncture, massage, Reiki; group programs (in-person and virtual) in yoga, movement, meditation, and the creative arts; exercise and nutritional counseling—all scientifically proven to improve quality of life and reduce stress and treatment side effects.
The Perini Family Survivors’ Center focuses research and care on the medical, emotional, and psychological challenges survivors face through its Adult Survivorship Program and, for children, in the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic. One of the nation’s first programs dedicated to young cancer survivors, the Perini Clinic offers support groups, exercise and nutrition counseling, sexual health programs, and community resource specialists to help survivors move forward with their lives.
Dana-Farber’s adult and pediatric Patient Assistance Programs defy cancer by helping vulnerable patients and families put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and get safely to and from the hospital.
Gifts to the campaign will enable us to create and fund programs seldom offered elsewhere that ease the physical and psychological challenges of living with, and after, cancer. They will inspire work in the lab that leads to clinical trials to improve survival rates. They will help us reach our ultimate goal: to stop all types of cancers in children and adults.
For more information or questions, please contact Jeff Bennett.