Chester, NJ and Baltimore, MD, June 13, 2024 – Cancer Hope Network and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins are proud to announce a new program designed to provide one-on-one peer support for the Johns Hopkins community. Through the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s M.A.P.S. (Mentorship and Peer Support) program, an adult cancer patient and/or caregiver can be matched with a trained peer mentor who has been through a similar experience. The program offers a platform for cancer survivors and co-survivors to give back to the community by volunteering as peer mentors to be matched.
This collaboration represents the commitment of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins to provide personalized support to adult cancer patients and caregivers, at any stage of the cancer journey. An important milestone in expanding access to vital social and emotional support, the M.A.P.S. program supports the organization’s larger efforts to provide psychosocial oncology care to both the patient and family.
“No one should ever feel isolated during their cancer journey,” says Beth Blakey, Executive Director & COO of Cancer Hope Network. “For more than four decades, we’ve been working to inspire hope and confidence among cancer patients and caregivers by making connections based on shared experience. Many who are traditionally underrepresented or who are navigating rare cancer diagnoses come to the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins for its world-class care. The M.A.P.S. program is an important continuation of that care that will connect people currently impacted by cancer with members of the cancer community who understand their individual challenges.”
Cancer Hope Network provides personalized, supportive connections for patients and caregivers based on their diagnosis and treatment, as well as their mental, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs, individual lifestyle choices and other personal circumstances. For over 40 years, Cancer Hope Network has been training peer mentors to constructively and safely share their experiences, offer practical advice and answer questions with a goal of inspiring hope and confidence.
“We’re committed to supporting all aspects of the cancer journey by offering treatment, emotional support and a sense of community. We’re thrilled to join with Cancer Hope Network to deliver on our shared mission to help members of our community make supportive connections during some of their most difficult moments,” says Louise Knight, Director, Harry J. Duffey Family Patient and Family Services, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
For over 50 years, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has offered innovative oncology care delivery, access to a wide breadth of clinical trials, and comprehensive support services. Paying particular attention to the care and comfort of cancer patients and caregivers, The Harry J. Duffey Family, Patient and Family Services Department at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center offers emotional support and counseling, assistance with temporary housing and transportation, help with finances and legal matters, spiritual and religious support and aid in managing care for those in treatment or undergoing a clinical trial and now will host the M.A.P.S. program.
About Cancer Hope Network
Cancer Hope Network provides free and confidential 1:1 peer support for cancer patients and those who love them. Our trained survivor and caregiver volunteer mentors provide support from diagnosis, through treatment and into survivorship. They have faced more than 98% of the cancers that will be diagnosed this year, speak 15 languages, and are prepared to offer hope and guidance through a wide variety of challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis.
All volunteer and client matches are overseen and supported from beginning to end by a team of healthcare and social work professionals. For more information about Cancer Hope Network and its mission, please visit https://cancerhopenetwork.org/.
About the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Care Center at Johns Hopkins
Patients who visit the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins have access to some of the most innovative and advanced therapies in the world. Because Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center clinicians and research scientists work closely together, new drugs and treatments developed in the laboratory are quickly transferred to the clinical setting, offering patients cutting edge therapeutic options.
The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has a wide spectrum of programs, including bone marrow transplantation (BMT), new drug development, the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, and Proton Therapy Center. Additionally, those at high risk for developing breast, ovarian, colon and other cancers, may seek information about early detection, prevention and genetic counseling through a comprehensive genetics service. We also offer complete Patient and Family Services that include counseling services, survivors and palliative care programs, and the Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion for patients traveling from out-of-town to receive treatment.
The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s commitment to excellence in patient care and research is enhanced by our dedicated facilities, including the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building and Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Building, our clinical care facilities; and the Bunting Blaustein and David H. Koch Cancer Research Buildings, home to our strong research and teaching programs. These dedicated efforts expand to our surrounding communities with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Bayview, Green Spring Station, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Suburban Hospital.
