Momcology Endorses Psychosocial Standards Of Care For Children With Cancer And Their Families

Leading Peer Support Provider for Childhood Cancer Families Supports First-Ever Comprehensive Psychosocial Standards of Care For Children with Cancer Families

Online PR News � 23-July-2019 – momcology, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (www.momcology.org) has endorsed the Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and their families. The scientific, evidence-based psychosocial standards first published in a special supplement of Pediatric Blood & Cancer, defines an optimal level of Psychosocial care that all children with cancer and their families should receive.

We learned firsthand having watched our child go through devastating medical treatments for his diagnosis that childhood cancer is not just about the medicine! We are deeply pleased to be partnering with Momcology and leveraging their deep connections to families, to help educate and spread awareness that families have a right to advocate for Standard of Psychosocial Care as they go through their cancer journey” said Victoria Sardi-Brown, Co-Founder of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation. The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation envisioned the creation and development of the first-ever, evidence-based Standards of Care to ensure patients and families have access to an optimal level of psychosocial care from the time of diagnosis, through survivorship, or end of life and bereavement care.

Founded in 2011, Momcology has reached over 8,500 families and the connections and friendships made, information shared, and events held, have become an integral part of the cancer caregiver story and continues to transform life after diagnosis for many families who connect with Momcology.

Momcology has become both the peer and professionally recommended resource for responsible online and in-person peer social support and has inspired countless new connecting efforts. Momcology currently connects over 200 families per month to secure, moderated and guideline-based online support, and has built a much-needed community, including efforts to develop wrap-around programs focused on meeting the needs to support a growing population of hurting parents.

Our work at Momcology affords us the privilege to support families by providing a national platform for primary caregivers to connect with one another, seek current and timely information, and begin the long-term healing process after a childhood cancer diagnosis, said Kim Buff, Executive Director and founder of Momcology. The Standards of Psychosocial Care are a vital resource for caregivers to be aware of and to know that they have a right to advocate for themselves and their families in seeking a minimum standard of Psychosocial care and support. We consider this endorsement a call-to-action within the parent community that we can and must do better to care for the psychosocial needs of families.

The development of the Psychosocial Standards of Care is a major step forward in addressing the needs of children with cancer and their families. The integration of psychosocial care along with disease-directed treatment improves the quality of life across the cancer trajectory. Depression and other psychosocial concerns can affect adherence to treatment regimens and decrease coping abilities. Therefore, making psychosocial care an essential component of standard treatment maximizes positive treatment outcomes.

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation and the team of pediatric oncology experts, advocates, policy and lawmakers, along with health insurers and accrediting associations, are working to scale a rapid adoption of the Standards at the over 200 clinical sites throughout the country that treat childhood cancer cases. Learn more at www.mattiemiracle.com/standards.