When
you nd out you have
cancer, you want support to deal
with the diagnosis. And you want
someone who can help you under-
stand the medical options available
to you.
The health professionals of
St. Elizabeth Community Hospital
(SECH) understand this fully.
That’s why we’re launching a nurse
navigator program, available this
fall, for anyone facing a possible
lung or breast cancer diagnosis.
These are the two most common
cancers in Tehama County.
Jaci Franseth, RN, a veteran SECH
nurse with 36 years of experience
caring for patients—many of them
cancer patients—has been chosen
to be the program’s rst nurse
navigator. She is skilled at guid-
ing patients through all stages of
cancer care and giving them both
practical and emotional support.
Continuoushelp
Nurse navigator support starts
when a mammogram or chest
X-ray rst detects an abnormality
that might be cancerous. And it
continues as patients undergo
biopsies and—if cancer is found—
throughout treatment.
Franseth provides care by:
Working as a liaison between
patients and the medical team
Coordinating treatments and
appointments
Connecting patients with
services or resources that might
be helpful
Explaining test results and
treatments
“There’s so much to take in when
cancer is part of your life,” says
Franseth. “This extra support is
truly helpful to patients.”
Perhaps most important, Franseth
is a patient advocate. “She takes
every step possible to ease the
concerns of people coping with
cancer,” says Penny Costa, senior
director of patient care services at
SECH.
“You don’t have to add the stress
of long-distance travel to get
lifesaving cancer care,” Costa says.
NURSE NAVIGATORS
Guiding
our patients
throughcancer
Exceptional care close to home
The creation of the nurse navigator
program at SECH is only one example
of exceptional cancer care at all three
Dignity Health North State hospitals.
Other services include:
A regional cancer center at Mercy
Medical Center Redding, where
oncology doctors, a clinical nurse
liaison, and oncology team use
the latest advances in surgery,
chemotherapy, and radiation
therapy.
Comprehensive surgical, radiation
therapy, and medical treatment for
cancer at Mercy Medical Center
Mt. Shasta (MMCMS).
Digital mammography and other
state-of-the-art imaging technology
at SECH and MMCMS.
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