How does Henry Ford support head and neck cancer patients?
Our head and neck cancer support team is one of the most extensive in the country. Our specialized support services include:
- Counseling and mental health support -- Henry Ford has one of only a few head and neck cancer programs in the country with a health psychologist dedicated to our patients
- Dedicated nurse navigators to help arrange medical services, answer questions, or connect you with additional resources
- Help when you transition from the hospital to home with products and services from Henry Ford at Home
- Nutrition services with our in-house dietitians
- Our specialty pharmacy, which makes sure you have the medications you need when you need them
- Speech and swallowing therapy with our speech-language pathology team
Our Head & Neck Cancer Support Group meets regularly at Henry Ford Hospital so you can share strength from others who have been where you are.
What support can I get if I live out of town?
We have many patients who travel from other areas of Michigan to get care from our head and neck cancer team. Some patients stay for a few days to recover from surgery, while others stay for a six-week regimen of radiation therapy. No matter how long you’ll be staying, we can help with:
- Housing -- we have apartments on our medical campus at affordable rates
- Manageable schedules -- we can schedule radiation treatments Monday through Thursday while you’re in Detroit, and you can relax at home on the weekends
- Emergency access -- our patient housing is just steps away from our emergency department
How can I make a difference for other patients?
You can share your story and the challenges you’ve dealt with as a member of our patient advisory council. Other patients, caregivers, and our medical team can learn a great deal from people who have gone through treatment or cared for a loved one with head or neck cancer.
Our patient advisory council meets once a month to:
- Advise our head and neck cancer team
- Improve the patient experience
- Learn more about head and neck cancers
- Mentor other patients