Journey Forward Sample Newsletter Copy

Use this copy in your printed or online newsletters to let others know about important survivorship resources. Feel free to adapt as needed to accommodate your available space.

Journey Forward – Helping Cancer Survivors Move Forward

People surviving cancer and the health care professionals caring for them may benefit from a new program introduced by a unique collaboration between a health care provider, patient advocacy organization, health benefit insurer and biotechnology company. This first-of-its-kind program is achieving a common goal of improving survivorship care.

Journey Forward was created in response to recommendations from a study, conducted in 2005, by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).  The IOM report concluded that many survivors feel “lost in transition” from active treatment to survivorship. Survivors stated they had few clues about how to manage their follow-up care and questions about the physical and mental health problems that often result from their treatments.

Journey Forward provides tools to help close the gap in post-treatment cancer care by promoting and facilitating the use of Survivorship Care Plans.  Survivorship Care Plans can provide clear, defined steps to guide post-active treatment care and future monitoring. They are prepared by Survivors’ oncology team, and provided to patients and their other health care providers. A typical Survivorship Care Plan contains a brief summary of the cancer diagnosis, details of the treatment received and guidance for ongoing monitoring and preventive care. Survivorship Care Plans ensure that the entire care team is working in a coordinated effort to care for the survivor after cancer treatment ends.

“There is a critical need for cancer patients to be informed and empowered about their care before, during and after cancer treatment,” said Thomas P. Sellers, MPA, President & CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and an 11-year cancer survivor. “Journey Forward helps all parties involved by encouraging an open dialogue between doctors and patients, and by providing an easy and flexible way to coordinate care.”

You can find your Journey Forward Survivorship Toolkit online at JourneyForward.org PATIENTS section. For questions/comments about Journey Forward, e-mail info [at] JourneyForward [dot] org.