(Chelsea Update would like to thank Matt Pegouskie for the information in this story.)
Beginning this month all patients of the St.Joseph Mercy-Chelsea Cancer Center will receive scholarships to Chelsea Wellness Foundation’s Next Steps program. The program is an eight-week Wellness Center fitness program developed to support patients who are preparing for, in or recovering from cancer treatment.
St. Joseph Mercy–Chelsea opened their state of the art Cancer Center in December 2014. Set on a beautiful, peaceful hospital campus, patients are treated with compassion by skilled professionals. Both infusion and radiation therapy treatments are available at the Chelsea site. Patients and families have access not just to this unique setting and the highest quality care, but also other amenities including a full time concierge, heated infusion chairs, support groups, future In Spirit Center offering massages, prosthetic fittings, hair and skin care, along with the Next Steps program.
Next Steps combines personal attention with full access to any of the four CWF Wellness Centers (Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester and Stockbridge). Participants meet in small supervised groups twice a week with a certified fitness specialist at either the Chelsea or Dexter Wellness Center.
The fitness specialist guides them through Next Steps, working with individuals to design a program specific to their needs including proper type, frequency and intensity of exercise. Participants have access to the walking track, cardio and weight equipment, group exercise classes and the warm water therapy and lap pools.
According to Cindy Cope, Wellness Center senior director, classes can be as restful or strenuous as the participant can tolerate. “Some people may only be interested in gentle yoga or light toning classes. Others may feel up to joining a water aerobics class – gentle but effective. Participants may be up to a more challenging class one week and less the next. Because of the large number of classes we offer there is almost always an option.”
Recognizing some participants may not feel well enough during active treatment, the opportunity to participate in Next Steps can be saved for immediately following active treatment. Other participants may want to start Next Steps right away but find they need to take a break. They will be welcome to finish the program when they are able.
Wellness Center staff will work with the participants’ health care provider and send reports to the referring provider at the beginning and end of the Next Steps program.
Jenny Bach Smith is a recent graduate of the Next Steps Cancer program at Chelsea Wellness Center. Following a month-long hospitalization, with deconditioning so severe she couldn’t hold a glass of water with her right hand or pick up her four-year-old son, Jenny joined the Next Steps program.
“Following my initial assessment I knew I could only improve,” she said. “My fitness specialist set up a whole program for me. As I improved the program was revised. She taught me how to use all the machines and if she wasn’t there when I needed help someone else would answer my questions. Everyone was super helpful, which gave me confidence. When I had my final Next Steps assessment I had reached my goals.”
Ivy Friess, director of the SJMC Infusion Center, describes their philosophy. “When we treat a patient for cancer, we are concerned about all aspects of care, including the general health and well-being of the patient during and after treatment. The Next Steps program offers our patients the opportunity to heal body, mind and spirit.”
Next Steps is a well-established program of the Chelsea and Dexter Wellness Centers. It is available to anyone with a referral from a health care provider. Health care providers include nurse practitioners, nutritionists, mental health providers, physicians, physical therapists and others.
In addition to the Cancer Next Steps the Wellness Centers offer Next Steps fitness programs for orthopedics; diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary fitness; pre-hab, a program to prepare you for surgery; functional fitness for arthritis, fibromyalgia and other auto-immune disorders; weight management; and transitional care (for those recovering from illness or hospitalization). The programs are all eight weeks in length and cost $99 for members and non-members who aren’t part of a scholarship program.
“Next Steps reaches a population that’s very hard to care for – those with needs beyond simple fitness,” said Anne Kittendorf, MD, member of the CWF Board of Directors. “So even though one Next Steps enrollment cost CWF $220 to provide, we gladly supplements Next Steps enrollment so participants only pay $99. We wish more physicians and other health care providers took advantage of the program for their patients. The outcomes for patients who participate in Next Steps are impressive.”
