Patient & Family

LHCI considers loved ones to be part of your care team. We know how important it is to have the support of family and friends – and how important it is for us to support your loved ones as well during your cancer treatment.

With your consent, family members and significant others are welcome to attend appointments and discussions with the care team. They also are permitted to stay with you during chemotherapy if such treatments are part of your care plan.

If you are concerned about how your treatment might affect future plans to have a child, we offer fertility counseling services. We also offer genetic testing for you and family members, to look for certain markers that could help guide treatments and decision making.

Here is an overview of what you and your family can expect at your first meeting:

• The meeting could last over an hour.
• We will explain the roles of medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, patient navigator, and others who may be involved in your care.
• We will explain any preparatory work that needs to be done – lab work, imaging studies, etc.
• We will talk about your medical history and background, to ensure all the facts we have are correct.
• Our goal at the end of the meeting is for you and your family to leave with confidence and a clear understanding of your care plan.

Each of our affiliated hospitals have multidisciplinary clinics that offer patients and families the opportunity to have a consultation with a surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and social worker/behavioral oncologist to review and discuss treatment options and recommendations.

Patient-family Focus

An example of our patient-family focus is Winchester Hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, a group of volunteer patients, family members of patients, and Winchester Hospital clinicians and administrators who meet bimonthly with the goal of improving the hospital’s programs and overall quality and safety.