<span class="dropcap">W</span>hen patients with cancer at Johnson Memorial Health have questions about insurance, treatment options or just want someone to come with them to an appointment, they turn to Becky Brummett and her team.
Brummett, an oncology certified registered nurse, serves as the hospital’s cancer navigator, along with other nurses and a doctor. Patients know they can count on Brummett to answer their questions — any time of the day or night.
Her job is primarily education — helping patients understand where they are and what the next step is in the treatment process, she said. Brummett also is certified in chemotherapy and biotherapy administration, so her specialized knowledge of the drug treatments can help as well.
“You’d be surprised. Patients come in with such preconceived ideas of what radiation is,” she said.
They want to know why more tests are needed, or how the kind of cancer they have is different from other types of cancers and how its treatments are different, she said.
Brummett tells them about the side effects they can expect during treatment and where they can call if they have questions, or what symptoms mean they need to go to the emergency room, she said.
“It’s important to see a face and talk to them personally. They know they can call me any time, even if they ask me the same question every time. I tell them it doesn’t matter. What matters to me is if they’re feeling comfortable,” she said.
“Patients are typically very, very nervous.”
Patients can ask Brummett anything — even if it’s the same question or same kinds of questions every week — and can talk about the kind of treatment a doctor has ordered and why.
“It gives them peace of mind to know there’s someone they can go to,” she said.
Brummett welcomes any and all cancer patients to see her. They do not have to be treated at Johnson Memorial to talk to her or her colleagues.
“I’m available to patients and families (who aren’t getting treatment here). I can talk to them before, during or after treatment,” she said. “Any time.”
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Cancer Patient Navigator, Becky Brummett, RN, BSN, OCN, at Johnson Memorial Health helps patients and families with solving insurance problems, finding doctors and more.
Contact her at 317-736-3346
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