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Support Groups and Resources
UT Southwestern Medical Center has a caring staff of medical professionals who are committed to enhancing patients’ quality of life, as well as meeting the needs of patients’ families. Our staff can direct them to a variety of informative and enriching support groups and other resources, which can be tailored to meet a specific situation.
At UT Southwestern, excellence in patient care includes pointing the way to resources patients and their families may not be familiar with, but which have proved invaluable to others. We trust these services will assist patients on the road to healing and improved health.
Support Groups
WINGS: Women in New Growing Situations
This support group is for women with any cancer diagnosis. Facilitated by Angela Herbrich, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, it meets in the third floor Breast Center Library in the Seay Building on the fourth Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Husbands and Partners of Women With Cancer
This support group is available for husbands, or partners, of women with any cancer diagnosis. It meets in the second floor conference room NC2.406 in the Seay Building on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Dialogue Support Group
The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center’s psychologist, Noelle McDonald, Ph.D. and oncology social worker Leslie Fetchen, L.M.S.W. offer this support group for anyone diagnosed with cancer, as well as their caregivers and families. Open to everyone, the group meets in the second floor conference room NC2.406 of the Seay Building on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Ovarian Cancer Support Group
This support group is for women with ovarian cancer. The group is facilitated by Leslie Fetchen,
L.M.S.W., and meets from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Seay Building NC2.406. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch; coffee and water are provided.
Social Services
Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Social workers and case managers provide a wide variety of valuable inpatient and outpatient services, including developing a total plan of care. Our social workers perform a comprehensive assessment of needs to determine the extent of services required for care and support, including providing patient and family counseling and coordinating with community providers for transportation, supplies, medication, home health services and financial needs. Social workers also provide arrangements for dietitians to offer nutritional screening and counseling as well as assist patients in UT Southwestern’s genetic counseling and risk assessment program.
Moncrief Cancer Resources
An affiliate of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, this nonprofit, community-based organization provides support services to cancer patients and their families in Tarrant County and surrounding areas. Social services, nutritional services, an oncology patient navigator and a transportation program are among the offerings.
UT Southwestern’s Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment Service
In many families, a pattern of cancer is obvious. In others this might not be the case, due to a small family size or an incomplete family history. Current estimates tell us that at least 5 percent of all cancers are due to a specific inherited syndrome while approximately 10 percent of cancers are familial. UT Southwestern’s Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment Service identifies high-risk families and allows us to help them understand their risk of developing cancer as well as their options for prevention, early detection and treatment.
UT Southwestern’s Familial Cancer Registry
Established in 1992 to identify and monitor people who have an increased risk of cancer due to their family background. Enrollment in the registry is completely confidential. The registry is a database of families with various types of cancer who are participating in research studies. As new cancer genes are identified and the DNA sequence is determined, we will be able to study individuals who are at risk. The Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is also part of the National Institutes of Health's Cancer Genetics Network.
Web Sites
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) places a very special and personal focus on providing outreach support to women with, or at risk for, cervical cancer and HPV (human papilloma virus) disease.
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s mission is to raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer.
Women's Cancer Network
The Women's Cancer Network is an interactive Web site dedicated to informing women about gynecologic cancer. Its goal is to assist women who have developed cancer, as well as their families, to understand more about the disease, learn about treatment options, and gain access to new or experimental therapies.
