People accessing cancer care at Goulburn Valley Health’s Peter Copulos Cancer and Wellness Centre will be greeted by two new faces.
Catherine Pool has taken over the cancer care co-ordinator role and Lynda Morrison has taken on the role of bowel cancer support nurse.
Beginning their respective roles earlier this year, the pair said it had been an exciting new challenge.
Ms Morrison was previously with GV Health’s regional continence team and will continue her role as a stomal therapist as well as her new role in oncology.
“This role complements my stomal therapy role; the two are very similar in that you’re supporting people who may have follow-up appointments in Melbourne or ongoing treatment locally,” she said.
“It’s really rewarding because you're supporting somebody through what is a pretty difficult time, and being based locally you understand the barriers, like getting to a Melbourne appointment.
“People have got one person they can call and instead of getting that runaround, I can help organise that for them.”
Currently, GV Health has six cancer support nurses in the oncology department: two breast, two prostate, a bowel cancer support nurse and one cancer co-ordinator, who covers all other cancer streams.
“There are groups of patients who don’t have support nurses for their cancer and so the cancer care co-ordinator role involves making sure that as those patients are moving back and forth, so is their information,” Ms Pool said.
In her role, Ms Pool sees people undergoing treatment for a range of cancers, from skin cancer to lung cancer.
“It’s a big thing to be here and to be told, ‘this is what’s happening and these are the next steps’,” she said.
“People are really great with handling the big things related to a cancer diagnosis, but it can be the little things that start to pile up and that’s usually what people need a hand with.”
Both Ms Pool and Ms Morrison said no matter the type of cancer, early detection was key to better outcomes and a greater chance of survival.