UT Southwestern Medical Center has a caring staff of medical professionals who are committed to enhancing patients’ quality of life as well as meeting the needs of patients’ families. Our staff can direct them to a variety of informative and enriching support groups and other resources, which can be tailored to meet a specific situation.

At UT Southwestern, excellence in patient care includes pointing the way to resources patients and their families may not be familiar with, but which have proved invaluable to others. We trust these services will assist patients on the road to healing and improved health.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Dialogue Support Group
Open to individuals diagnosed with cancer, their caregivers and families
Tuesdays, 10-11:30 a.m.
2nd floor conference room (NC2.406), Seay Building

Husbands and Partners of Women With Cancer
Open to husbands and partners of women with any cancer diagnosis
1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 5:30-7 p.m.
2nd floor conference room (NC2.406), Seay Building

WINGS: Women in New Growing Situations
Open to women with any cancer diagnosis.
4th Monday of the month, 5:30-7 p.m.
Breast Center Library (3rd floor), Seay Building

SOCIAL SERVICES

Moncrief Cancer Resources
An affiliate of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, this nonprofit, community-based organization provides support services to cancer patients and their families in Tarrant County and surrounding areas. Social services, nutritional services, an oncology patient navigator and a transportation program are among the offerings.

Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Social workers and case managers provide a wide variety of valuable inpatient and outpatient services, including developing a total plan of care. Our social workers perform a comprehensive assessment of needs to determine the extent of services required for care and support, including providing patient and family counseling and coordinating with community providers for transportation, supplies, medication, home health services and financial needs. Social workers also provide arrangements for dietitians to offer nutritional screening and counseling, as well as assist patients in UT Southwestern’s genetic counseling and risk assessment program.

UT Southwestern’s Familial Cancer Registry
Established in 1992 to identify and monitor people who have an increased risk of cancer due to their family background. Enrollment in the registry is completely confidential. The registry is a database of families with various types of cancer who are participating in research studies. As new cancer genes are identified and the DNA sequence is determined, we will be able to study individuals who are at risk. The Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is also part of the National Institutes of Health's Cancer Genetics Network.

UT Southwestern’s Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment Service
In many families, a pattern of cancer is obvious. In others this might not be the case, due to a small family size or an incomplete family history. Current estimates tell us that at least 5 percent of all cancers are due to a specific inherited syndrome while approximately 10 percent of cancers are familial. UT Southwestern’s Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment Service identifies high-risk families and allows us to help them understand their risk of developing cancer as well as their options for prevention, early detection and treatment.