Patient Education Library
This wide range of information is given to you from Roswell Park experts and trusted organizations that specialize in this area of healthcare.
We understand the worry and confusion that comes with a diagnosis of cancer. In addition to comprehensive medical care, Roswell Park provides a holistic range of services to help you cope with the physical, emotional, practical and day-to-day concerns related to your illness, treatment and lifelong wellness.
When you walk through our doors, rest assured that you’ll find the care and support you need — before, during and after your cancer treatment.
View all of our support services
Advance Blood Draw
Reduce the time you spend waiting at your next scheduled appointment — get your lab work and radiology tests done in advance. Roswell Park offers various lab work locations! Choose from three Roswell Park locations, or take advantage of our partnership with Catholic Health System, which allows you to select from three additional suburban locations. Schedule now in your Care Center or call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355).
Assessment and Treatment Center
The Roswell Park Assessment and Treatment Center (ATC) is a patient care service that supports our current patients when they are sick with urgent, but non-life threatening symptoms during the day and when our clinics are closed. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.
The ATC is not an emergency room and it does not accept walk-ins. To be seen in the ATC, you must be referred by your Roswell Park physician or the physician-on-call.
If you are experiencing non-life threatening symptoms, you should first call your Roswell Park clinic. If your clinic is closed, call Roswell Park at 716-845-2300 to be evaluated by a Triage Nurse. As always, in the case of a life-threatening emergency, you should always dial 911.
CancerConnect
To expand care beyond the hospital’s walls and hours of operation, Roswell Park has launched an online community for people affected by cancer. CancerConnect is intended as both a source of information for patients, family members and caregivers and a 24/7 extension of the support networks that are a crucial resource for those affected by cancer.
Communication in All Languages
Patients who do not speak English, or who would prefer to speak a language other than English, have easy access to interpreters. Roswell Park contracts with the Language Line, a phone service that provides professional interpretation by certified medical interpreters in more than 170 languages, 24 hours a day.
Non-English-speaking patients can access Language Line services by making arrangements through any member of their health care team or, if off-campus, by calling Roswell Park’s Cancer Information Program at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355), available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Living with Thymus Carcinoid Tumors
Some patients with thymus carcinoid tumors experience a set of symptoms called carcinoid syndrome, and we will help you manage those symptoms throughout your life. Our specialist, Renuka Iyer, MD, can help you maintain a healthy and active life.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is especially important while you are receiving cancer care. During your treatment, adequate intake of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals will help you to be strong, maintain your weight, and promote the healing process. Before and after your treatment, a healthy diet based on moderation, variety and balance will help to promote a good immune system, give you energy, and enhance your overall health. Our Nutrition and Food Service team is dedicated to providing nourishing meals and nutrition care to promote quality of life throughout the spectrum of your cancer care experience.
Palliative Care
Palliative care is a medical specialty devoted to caring for individuals with progressive illness. It is a common misperception that palliative care is offered only for patients who are ending curative treatment. However, the Supportive and Palliative Care Team at Roswell Park can join the care process at any time. This team of skilled specialists provides comfort to the patient and caregivers, addressing the many issues — emotional, physical, and practical — that are associated with cancer. If end-of-life care is needed, the Palliative Care team helps enhance the experience by facilitating hospice referrals and pastoral care support.
Patient Advisory Council
Created in 2012, Roswell Park’s Patient Advisory Council represents a “culture change” in the way the hospital operates and how it receives feedback from our patients. Patients who join the advisory council become involved with every level of care and are invited to take a hard look at the services and procedures in place at Roswell Park, then provide suggestions for how to make improvements.
If you are interested in joining the Patient Advisory Council, please call Roswell Park’s Department of the Patient and Family Experience at 716-845-8114.
Patient Advocate Program
Patient Advocates act as a mediator, a connection between you and your health care team. They work with patients and staff to resolve concerns or complaints and to improve effective communication among patients, families, and the Roswell Park care team.
Social Support & Guidance
Our team of social workers and clinical psychologists work side by side with your medical team to provide individualized assistance and support to you and your family throughout the course of care. Services include:
- Educational programs about cancer
- Emotional support, including support groups and psychotherapy
- Assistance with sick leave and disability
- Arrangement of lodging, transportation or language/interpreter needs
- Linkage with financial assistance programs and other community resources
- Assistance with advance care planning, palliative care and/or hospice referrals as needed
Family Support
We extend our services to relatives and caregivers, offering emotional support as well as assistance with all of the practical considerations necessary to care for someone undergoing cancer treatment.
Family members are welcome to attend support group meetings or they may take advantage of private consultations with our Psychosocial Oncology team by calling 716-845-8022. Consultations are free and confidential.
Purple Shirts
The American Cancer Society and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center worked together to create a healthcare hospitality program that connects patients and their families with cancer survivors. Dressed in purple shirts, these dedicated volunteers visit clinics throughout the Roswell Park hospital, bringing compassion, understanding, and practical information about Roswell Park resources and supportive services. If you don’t see a Purple Shirt in your clinic and would like to speak to someone, please visit The Resource Center for Patients and Families at Roswell Park, or call the Office of Patient and Family Experience at 716-845-8114.
The 11 Day Power Play Cancer Resource Center
Roswell Park’s cancer information specialists at The 11 Day Power Play Cancer Resource Center are uniquely qualified to help locate and evaluate the overwhelming amount of online information. They can help with basic cancer information, advanced medical information, and everything in between. Trained cancer information specialists use easy-to-understand terms to explain medical information and provide each visitor with a thorough and personalized experience.
Location: Main Hospital - First floor
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Telephone: 716-845-8659
Smoking Cessation
Roswell Park Cessation Services (RPCS) provides evidence-based, best practice tobacco cessation services to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center employees, state quitlines, healthplans, and employer sponsored programs.
New York State Smokers’ Quitline
Based at Roswell Park and supported by the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program, the NYS Smokers' Quitline has logged well over one million calls since its inception. Call 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). Roswell Park was the first health care facility in Western New York to go entirely smoke-free.
Social Media
Follow Roswell Park on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on events, services and other relevant information.
Spiritual Care
The Spiritual Care Department at Roswell Park is an interfaith department supporting the concept of holistic medicine. This concept recognizes the integration of spiritual, emotional, social, psychological and physical care as necessary for the health of the whole person. Working collaboratively with other health care professionals, chaplains provide spiritual care to all persons in the Institute regardless of religious affiliation.
Western New York Carcinoid Support Group
The Western New York Carcinoid Support Group provides an opportunity for carcinoid patients, caregivers, friends, and medical professionals to get together and discuss the issues relating to carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors. It’s a great way to share experiences and knowledge of the many treatment options that are available to carcinoid patients.
Additional Resources
National Cancer Institute: Coping with Cancer
Foundation for Thymus Cancer Research
International Thymus Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG)
Roswell Park’s Video Library on Carcinoid Tumors
Western New York Carcinoid Support Group
National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health
National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for Patients