NWT Health and Social Services Authority has hired a territorial cancer specialist, and two Cancer Nurse Navigators to service the Territory, it stated in a Friday news release.
The new staff will work to "decrease potential symptoms of distress" among patients as they receive treatment, the release stated. Previously, Stanton Territorial Hospital employed one Cancer Nurse Navigator.
For patients, "a diagnosis of cancer can be very scary," it stated. To assist them, Cancer Nurse Navigators aim to guide patients through the healthcare system and provide "emotional, spiritual or psychological support."
"The program will employ a case management approach to services for patients and their families, ensuring they are receiving seamless wraparound services, regardless of their location in the territory,” the Authority's CEO Sue Cullen stated in the release.