MOUNT VERNON – A cancer diagnosis can be both scary and confusing, which is why Knox Community Hospital’s Center for Cancer Care has two staff members to help navigate patients through treatment and beyond.
“We meet, discuss the diagnosis and the treatment plan,” navigator Bobbi Mickley, a registered nurse, told the Mount Vernon News. “Then I let the patient express what their concerns are. It could be a financial concern. What it’s going to cost. What are the out-of-pocket costs?”
She can refer patients to the hospital’s financial counselor for help on those issues.
“If they have transportation barriers, I have some referral services here in the county that can help,” Mickley said.
Throughout the treatment process, Mickley is there for the patients.
“I try to help them if they are having issues with the medicine and things like that,” she said. “I try to reassure them — let them know that I am here to help them through all aspects of the care. We want to keep that open line of communication.”
Mickley even helps patients obtain leave from their jobs while on treatment.
“With that, I have a lot of resources that I lean to,” she said. “I keep an open-door policy, so if anything comes up they can come to me.”
Mickley has 30 years of experience in the medical field. She works with patients undergoing treatment for all types of cancer treated by the hospital except breast cancer.
Kelli Downey, also a registered nurse, is the hospital’s breast health navigator. She helps patients who need mammograms, biopsies, surgery and other forms of treatment.
Long after patients complete their cancer treatment, many will stop by to say hello to the person who helped them through the treatment that saved their lives, Mickley said.
