Affiliated clinic offers care closer to home
Tucked away on the first floor of Feist-Weiller Cancer Center lies a small, but bright, clinic.
This clinic, filled with patterned curtains and Disney paintings, is actually part of a large, national entity: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Though located on busy Kings Highway within the LSU Health Shreveport campus, nurse practitioner Diana Townsend said many people don’t realize the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Shreveport Affiliate exists.
“Everyone knows about St. Jude in Memphis, and that’s great. I do wish there was more community awareness about what we do here,” Townsend said. St. Jude has eight affiliate clinics, helping to offer care beyond Memphis, Tenn. Established in 1996, Shreveport is one of two clinics in the state, with the other in Baton Rouge. It’s one of the most western clinics in the nation, with the farthest west residing in Tulsa, Okla.
Affiliate clinics help many patients receive at least some of their care closer to home.
“When we ask patients if they’d like to receive their care here or in Memphis, they ask, ‘What are you talking about? We didn’t know there was a St. Jude here,’” Townsend said.
Townsend said that having an affiliate clinic helps families avoid the stress, exhaustion and economic issues of constant travel. She said it especially helps families with more than one child, and all current patients at the Shreveport affiliate have siblings. Though patients may have to go to St. Jude in Memphis some, they can receive many treatments closer to home.
For example, leukemia patients require two and half years of treatment. Leukemia patients have to spend their first six to eight weeks of treatment in Memphis. Then, they can receive much of their remaining treatment once a week at the Shreveport affiliate. The affiliate cannot treat all patients, as there are some services they cannot provide. However, they serve patients, primarily offering lab work and chemotherapy treatments, throughout northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.
Cancer of any type is a blow, but it is especially devastating for children. According to the National Institute of Cancer, it’s important for children to receive specialized pediatric treatment.
“Children's cancers are not always treated like adult cancers. Pediatric oncology is a medical specialty focused on the care of children with cancer. It's important to know that this expertise exists and that there are effective treatments for many childhood cancers.” Two pediatric hematology/oncology physicians staff the Shreveport clinic: Dr. Majed Jeroudi and Dr. Samer Zaid-Kaylani.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highestdiagnosed forms of childhood cancer in 2013 were leukemia, and brain and central nervous system cancer.
Cancer is obviously tough on the patient, and St. Jude and its affiliates work to provide moments of cheer despite the circumstances. A child life specialist frequents the Shreveport clinic, and the staff works to entertain the children.
“We tell jokes. Singing and dancing can happen,” Townsend said. They also throw No Mo Chemo parties when a child finishes chemotherapy treatment, complete with a song and treats. The clinic recently had seven No Mo Chemo parties in a three-month period.
“A lot of tears are shed and hugs are given. A lot of children are with us for two and a half years. It’s bittersweet when they leave, but we’re happy for them,” she said.
In addition to the tolls cancer takes on the patient, it also wears on the supporting family and loved ones. Townsend said that it can be especially tough on siblings, as they can feel abandoned by their parents when cancer strikes the family. She said they recommend families to join a support group as soon as possible, as talking about problems with people going through similar circumstances can help. She said some family members may consider reaching out to a mental health professional, too.
St. Jude, unlike most hospitals, is a nonprofit organization that receives 75 percent of its funding from public donations. St. Jude not only provides treatment, but constantly performs research to find a cure for cancer. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and organizations like St. Jude encourage donations during this time.
Townsend said it can be incredibly sad working with children with cancer, but the love she has for her patients and their personalities make it worthwhile.
“All of our patients are individually unique, and we give them nicknames. We have one that we call Fashionista. One makes movies. Some of them have the cutest little voices. They all have their individual quirks. You have a bad day, but then you look around and see that your day isn’t so bad,” she said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more information on St. Jude, visit stjude.org.
