$50,000 Grant Funds UAMS Support Program for Women with Gynecological Cancers
| LITTLE ROCK – A $50,000 grant from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance (OCRFA) will allow the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to expand its support services to women with gynecological cancers.
The one-time grant provides resources to bring OCRFA’s Woman to Woman support program to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The program pairs newly diagnosed patients with specially trained survivor volunteers who provide one-on-one support and mentoring.
“The Woman to Woman program will give our patients with ovarian, cervical, endometrial and other gynecologic cancers the chance to connect with fellow survivors who have lived through the same type of experience. This level of emotional support is vitally important for our patients as they struggle with a new cancer diagnosis and come to terms with its possible implications for their future,” said Shayna Fendley, a licensed clinical social worker and program coordinator for the grant.
Woman to Woman volunteers are carefully matched to new patients based on cancer type, age, language and culture, patient preferences, and other factors. Training and support materials are provided by OCRFA and teach skills such as active listening, communication skills and how to address cultural differences. There are about 30 sites across the country with Woman to Woman programs.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###