New Breast & GYN Cancer Call Line Guides Women to Care

CancerAnswer Call Line connects patients and caregivers with information and resources

(Baton Rouge) – Individuals diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer or who have questions about the disease often need help quickly. The CancerAnswer Call Line is a new, free service from Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion partners Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. It offers guidance to help ease the fear and anxiety for anyone diagnosed with breast or GYN cancer and their caregivers. “We know from experience that when information and assistance are timely and accessible, people diagnosed with cancer and their families experience much less stress. And since caregivers and family members often have just as many questions as patients, we want to be sure to offer this resource to everyone affected,” said Cynthia Rabalais, executive director of the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion. Some of the questions patients or loved ones might have include:

• What are my next steps?
• What type of doctor do I need?
• What should I be doing before my first appointment?
• What does this mean for me and my family?
• Will my hair fall out?
• Where can I get the most specialized care?
• Where can we find support?
• How do we get a second opinion?

The CancerAnswer Call Line is supported by a team of professionals dedicated to enhancing cancer care, including patient navigators, oncology-certified social workers, as well as clinicians. The line will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. To speak with someone about breast and gynecologic cancer questions within one business day, call the CancerAnswer Call Line at (225) 215-7600. To learn more about the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion, visit sisterhoodstrong.org. About Woman’s Hospital Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is one of the first specialty hospitals for women and infants. Since opening in 1968, it has welcomed more than 300,000 babies, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman’s operates the largest neonatal intensive care unit in the state and cares for infants who are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the hospital to continue Woman’s mission to improve the health of women and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff and critical community programs and services. For more information, visit www.womans.org. About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center As a regional destination for cancer care, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center offers the most advance technology and services provided by a dedicated team of nationally-recognized oncology experts. The Cancer Center provides best-practice, comprehensive care at every stage of the cancer journey, including disease site-specific multidisciplinary care teams, a robust clinical research program, extensive supportive care services and is the only facility in the Gulf South with the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™. The American College of Surgeons has named the Cancer Center a recipient of its prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for three consecutive survey cycles. As a nonprofit organization, donor generosity is essential to sustaining the mission of improving survivorship and lessening the burden of cancer for so many throughout Southeast Louisiana and beyond. For more information on the Cancer Center, and how you can become involved, please visit marybirdlake.org.