Cancer Support Services

Cancer Support Services 

BIDMC offers a wide range of services to support patients and their families during and after cancer treatment.

BIDMC cancer patient with flowers
  • Interpreter services, assisting in more than 30 languages, including sign language.
  • Lotsa Helping Hands, an online calendar tool for friends, family, colleagues and neighbors to assist loved ones during their stay in the hospital and beyond.
  • Medical nutrition therapy, providing comprehensive assessment and counseling to meet the individual cancer patient's nutritional needs.
  • Meditation, a practice that helps cultivate inner strength and insight based on the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism.
  • Oncology social work, offering psychosocial counseling and support groups for patients, families, caregivers and survivors.
  • Pain management, care from a multidisciplinary team of experts who help patients manage acute or chronic pain.
  • Palliative care, a team of caregivers whose goal is to enhance the lives of patients with any advanced or serious illness, regardless of prognosis.
  • Pastoral care, chaplains who attend to the spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being of all patients, their families, staff and BIDMC employees.
  • Patient navigator, connecting patients referred from community-based organizations with a special Chinese-speaking advocate to make care more easily accessible.
  • Psycho-Oncology Clinic, an outpatient counseling and medical service of BIDMC's Department of Psychiatry that helps with issues that may emerge during cancer treatment, including fatigue, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns and substance abuse.
  • Reiki, a relaxation technique that supports the body’s natural ability to move toward balance and to experience a sense of well-being.
  • Our specialty pharmacy helps you obtain, manage and simplify your medications. Delivery is fast and reliable.
  • Support groups with a wide variety of themes, led by oncology social workers, to facilitate peer support and problem solving.
  • Windows of Hope, a specialty shop at BIDMC offering cancer patients products and resources such as wigs, prostheses, books and CDs.

Additional Cancer Care and Research Resources