VCU Massey Cancer Center

Breast cancer resources

Support services

At VCU Massey Cancer Center, we believe that treating the whole person, not just the disease, is the best way to care for patients and family members coping with cancer. We take a holistic approach to address not just your medical and physical needs, but also your psychological, emotional and social needs. We offer comprehensive cancer support services to care for you throughout your cancer journey that range from helping minimize symptoms and side effects to helping evaluate and cope with the emotional and psychological effects of cancer. These services include:

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• Communication assistance, including language translation services, text and amplified telephones for the hearing impaired, sign language and cued speech interpreters

• Integrative health resources, including acupressure, art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy and tobacco cessation counseling. Complementary therapies are not substitutes for medical care but are used together with medical treatments to help patients alleviate stress and anxiety, reduce pain, manage symptoms and promote a feeling of well-being.

• Financial assistance for qualifying patients in need

• Genetic counseling by board-certified genetic counselors in Richmond’s only Familial Cancer Clinic

• Healing garden

• Legal assistance for qualifying patients in need

• Lodging for qualifying patients in need

• Nutritionists

• Palliative care by an international award-winning team for the management of pain and symptoms, including an outpatient Supportive Care Clinic

• Patient education, including libraries and health programming geared to cancer patients and their caregivers

• Pharmacy services, including in-hospital oncology pharmacies

• Psychological counseling - ask your nurse for more information

• Rehabilitation by one of the nation’s longest-running cancer rehabilitation programs with physical, occupational and speech therapy especially geared for cancer patients

• Spiritual counseling

• Social work for patients in need

• Support groups

• Transportation assistance for qualifying patients in need – ask your social worker for more information

• Wig salons that provide free hats, scarves and wigs as well as private head-wear consultation services

Learn more about our patient resources and integrative medicine.