Running head: OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 1. Overseas Placement Summary Report:

Transcription

1 Running head: OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 1 Overseas Placement Summary Report: Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Ka Lui Ng (MSWFT) The University of Hong Kong

2 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 2 Overseas Placement Summary Report: Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Community demographics Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County of Michigan. The total population of Michigan and Ann Arbor documented in 2015 were 9,922,576 and 117,070 respectively. Given that The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor is a local non-profit organization, the majority of service users live in or nearby Washtenaw County. According to statistics in 2010, the ratio of male to female in Ann Arbor was 50:50. Around 14% of population in Ann Arbor was under the age of 18, and nearly 10% of the population was recorded as above the age of 65. In terms of race/ethnicity in Ann Arbor, the majority, almost three fourths, is White Americans, and the distribution is followed by 14.4% Asians and 7.7% African Americans. One interesting fact about the population in Ann Arbor is that nearly 71% of those who age above 25 own bachelor s degree or higher (United States Census Bureau, 2015). In the context of cancer, the average total numbers of cancer incidence and deaths of the State of Michigan between 2008 and 2012 were 53,976 and 20,362 respectively (MDHHS, 2015). More specifically, the State Cancer Profiles reports that Washtenaw County had an average annual incidence count of 1,490 between 2008 and The most common cancers include breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, and thyroid cancer (MDHHS, 2015; National Cancer Institute, 2016). According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that the nationwide number of new cases of cancer in 2016 will be 1,685,210, and cancer will take away 595,690 people s lives in the United States.

3 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 3 Agency introduction History The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor was founded in 2007 and was originally named The Wellness Community. In 1998, a local social worker Katie Pelz-Davis s husband, Glenn, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although the hospital offered qualified medical treatment to Katie s beloved husband, she felt isolated and struggled due to the lack of additional non-medical resources and support. After her husband s death in 2000, Katie pulled together some dedicated volunteers and formed a group called Glenn s house to support both individuals and families affected by cancer. In November 2007, The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor opened its door as a local non-profit organization called The Wellness Community to provide free-of-charge services to people touched by cancer. Meanwhile, there was another organization which also provided similar services and its name was Gilda s Club. In 2009, The Wellness Community and Gilda s Club began to merge and became a united national organization under the name Cancer Support Community (CSC) in 2011.

4 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 4 Mission The mission of the CSC is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. The CSC aims to serve as a reliable resource for education, information, and support in order to promote acceptance and hope. While ensuring that people affected by cancer served, the CSC also ensures that all services are evidence-based, professionally-led, and fee-free. Organizational structure The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor has adopted a reverse hierarchy conceptual structure. Since the agency is run by a small number of paid staff, the operations and services rely heavily on volunteers and interns. Thereby, volunteer and interns very often serve as the frontline workers who have direct contact with community members touched by cancer. Some frontline units include program facilitators, program instructors, clinical outreach team, and volunteers/interns. They are supported and supervised by four administrators, which are Program Director, Office Administrator, Event Manager, and The Brides Project Director, and followed by the Executive Director and the Board of Directors. Additionally, a number of community and board members, healthcare professionals, and volunteers formed the Standing Board Committees and the Professional Advisor Board (PAB) to support the organization. Sources of income Currently, The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor operates as an independent chapter of the CSC, by which all funds come from individual donors, grants, and local fundraising business. The total income of was USD527,225, which consisted of two major annual fundraising events, The Amazing Race and Strides for Hope, and third-party events

5 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 5 (36%, US$189,801), contributed support (27%, US$142,350), The Brides Project (27%, US$142,350), grants (9%, US$47,450), and other income (1%, US$5,272). Programs and services Programs and services offered in The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor can be divided into five main categories, which are education, support groups, healthy lifestyle, social activities, and children and teen programs. All programs and services are free-of-charge, professionally-led, and scientifically supported to be physically and mentally beneficial to people living with cancer and their families.

6 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 6 Education. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor holds one to two educational workshops each month on cancer-related topics. According to the program description, These events will provide opportunities for acquiring tools and information about cancer, along with techniques to learn how to be an active participant in your cancer care. For example, Sexuality and Intimacy During and After Cancer and Look Good Feel Better were offered in June. Support groups. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor offers both monthly walk-in open groups and weekly-committed closed groups. All groups are ongoing and facilitated by mental health professionals. Some support groups are mixed diagnosis (e.g., Patient Group), whereas some are designed for people who face similar issues such as grief, life beyond cancer, or metastatic cancer. Healthy lifestyle. It has been widely accepted that stress management and exercising are associated with better health and mental health outcome for people affected by cancer. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor therefore developed a variety of programs to support

7 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 7 people s well-being. Some healthy lifestyle programs include yoga, guided meditation, Tai Chi, and cooking classes. Social activities. Informal and relaxing social setting can give people a space to enjoy companionship and prevent social isolation. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor holds different social events, including potluck, brown bag lunch, and Sit n Knit.

8 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 8 Children and teen programs. Kids and teens can also be touched by cancer, either having a parent or loved one with cancer or having cancer themselves. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor offers children and teen programs that specifically target the needs of children, parent, and families. These are Kids Kicking Cancer, Kid and Teen Support, and Families Having Fun Together. Reflection Being a part of the CSC staff team was an incredible learning experience. I always feel supported, valued, and trusted by the whole CSC team throughout the placement. Given that CSC has a relatively small staff, I had lots of opportunities to work on different tasks and projects. Learning objectives were tailor-made to meet students needs and interests within the agency context. All staff members and interns are extremely caring and supportive that they are always willing to share their knowledge, experiences, and wisdom. Some opportunities include but are not limited to: Casework Learning opportunities New member orientations and intake Link Volunteer Navigator Program referral calls Group work Shadow and co-facilitate a patient/caregiver support group Clinical supervision/individual supervision with L.C.S.W.

9 OVERSEAS PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT: CSC, MI, USA 9 Programs/projects Others Programs include: o Volunteer orientations and front desk training o Healthy lifestyle programs (e.g., meditation) o Educational workshops o Potluck and social activities o Volunteering at C.S. Mott Children s Hospital Reminder calls Visiting University of Michigan Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital Counter receptions Hotline calls/telephone enquiries Outreaching visits/spot works: o The Brides Project o Health Fair o Fundraising It is not a requirement to know everything about cancer in order to be a competent intern, but having adequate knowledge about cancer would definitely be a huge advantage. Throughout this placement, not only that I have further developed my social work skills, but also that I have acquired a lot of oncology social work knowledge and skills. Finally, I highly encourage anyone who is looking for a strengths-oriented, collaborative, and supportive learning environment to apply for the CSC internship!