Oct 11, 2007 6:17 pm US/Eastern
Mental Health Care Offered To Cancer Patients
by Kellye Lynn
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Cancer patients without medical insurance are offered mental health care with the help of a new program.
CBS
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Cancer patients without medical insurance are offered mental health care with the help of a new program.
Most women who have breast cancer fight back with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn reports there's another aspect of their health that is too often overlooked.
Everyone knows undergoing treatment for cancer can be physically grueling. What few people realize is that it takes a mental toll as well.
When Rebecca Hopkins found out she had breast cancer it was a devastating blow. Her mother had been diagnosed with the same disease decades earlier.
"It was terrifying, because I know what that meant. It's not a very good prognosis," said Hopkins.
The golf ball sized tumors required a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
"You hardly have time to think and then it's 'do you want plastic surgery with it?' I'm like, 'well, yeah, but I'm uninsured,'" said Hopkins.
Rebecca found a way to get the care she needed despite lacking insurance. In fact, her uninsured status qualified her for a unique mental health care service offered through the Beyond Breast Cancer program.
"We were created to help those who are uninsured or without insurance or low income that need mental health care," said Whitney Deboer, spokesperson for Beyond Breast Cancer.
Funded primarily by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the program connected Rebecca to a therapist who helped her cope with her diagnosis. It gave her ongoing sessions with a licensed mental health professional at no cost.
"When I go in there to see her, I feel like 'oh my gosh my world is coming to an end.' Then I come out and go, 'got all that off my shoulders,'" said Hopkins.
The Beyond Breast Cancer program works with more than 1,500 therapists in the state of Maryland.
Click here for more information on the Beyond Cancer program.You can also call
410-323-5800 or
877-323-5800.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click Here For More Information On The Beyond Cancer Program
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