Providing the Support You Need

Children and families coping with a cancer diagnosis benefit immensely from the comprehensive psychosocial support programs offered at the Jim and Trudy Maloof St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Our multidisciplinary psychosocial team includes a social worker, child life specialist, counselor and patient services coordinator.

Each newly diagnosed family is given a new patient orientation, which includes our history, financial information, education, processes and other information. At this time we begin to build a relationship with you and gathering the information to best serve your needs. Psychosocial staff will provide a variety of support over the course of treatment and can help you understand the impact that the stress of serious illness may have on your family, as well as on your relationships with each other. Your social worker or the psychosocial staff can also direct you to the many resources available within the hospital and in the community.

We look forward to getting to know you and your family.

What can your social worker assist you with?

• New patient orientation
• Psychosocial assessments – what are your strengths? What are your needs?
• Ongoing financial hardship assessments and interventions
• Referrals and resources
• Advanced directive (18+)
• Work needs – letters, FMLA
• Patient/family advocacy
• Communication and collaboration among medical and psychosocial health care providers, patients and families
• Transportation needs/issues
• College and career planning
• Facilitate family meetings as needed