Alberta Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic

Offers care and support for people having an allogeneic or autologous blood and marrow transplant.

Cancer Treatment and Care - Cancer Care Centres

Cancer centres are located within local regional hospitals / health centres. They deliver a range of treatments and care options to cancer patients as close to home as possible, including outpatient chemotherapy, education, navigation, and support.

Contact a centre for information or educational material related to cancer.

Cashier Services

Cashier services performs financial transactions, including the acceptance of payment for patient fees.

Chemotherapy / Systemic Cancer Locations

This service uses systemic treatment (anti-cancer medicine) to treat cancer. This may include:

• immunotherapy
• chemotherapy
• targeted therapy
• hormonal therapy
• radiation therapy

Classes and / or resources are available.

Complex Cancer Management Service

This service operates on a consultative basis in conjunction with patients’ existing oncology and community care teams. Patients are seen by a physician or nurse practitioner. The team will follow the patient's progress until symptoms are stable, and management is then continued by patients’ existing oncology and community-based providers.

Dyspnea and Pleurex Clinics

Clinic for patients with a presumed or confirmed malignant pleural effusion, specializing in tunneled pleural catheters.

Health Information - Access and Disclosure

In accordance with Alberta's Health Information Act, this is a service which enables the release of individually identifiable health information with or without the consent of an individual.

For health information, please contact the hospital or health care centre where you received treatment.

For detailed instructions, frequently asked questions and forms, please visit Access & Disclosure | Alberta Health Services.

Health Information / Records Management

Completes patient charts, collects data, data entry and coding, collects patient information, dictates notes, and transcribes inpatient and outpatient charts.

Laboratory Services

Laboratory Services provides collection of blood and body fluids for tests ordered by your doctor or healthcare provider including a comprehensive range of routine and specialized lab testing and clinical consultations:

• blood and body fluid sample collection
• biochemistry and toxicology
• electrocardiogram (ECG)
• genetics and genomics
• urinalysis
• transfusion medicine
• hematology
• coagulation studies
• microbiology
• public health testing
• serology
• surgical pathology
• cytopathology
• autopsy pathology
• student practicum training for medical lab technologists and medical lab assistants

Note: Some locations may not offer the full range of testing. To confirm availability of a specific test, contact the location.

APL Booking Line: 1-877-702-4486 or book online.

Look Good Feel Better

Learn to manage the appearance-related impact of cancer treatment. Workshops are led by cosmetician volunteers and are available via Zoom or in-person sessions. Workshops on: makeup and skin care, hair alternatives, and post-surgical bras and breastforms.

Lowdown on Down There

Provides help with:

• managing vaginal pain
• loss of sexual interest
• questions about vaginal health

This workshop is provided by the Oncology And Sexuality, Intimacy and Survivorship Program (OASIS) service.

Lymphoma Diagnosis Program

The Lymphoma Diagnosis Program's role is to support patients with presentations that have a high likelihood of being a lymphoma diagnosis and expedite their care from the point of suspicion through diagnostic work-up, staging, definitive diagnosis and eventual consult with an oncologist.

This program works to ensure people with lymphoma get faster access to treatment. The program seeks to improve the patient journey, patient outcomes and standardize care delivery across the province.
Services provided by the program include:

• coordination of diagnostic and staging investigations
• care coordination by nurses who are specialized in lymphoma
• timely consults with oncologist / hematologist
• patient education and supportive care to assist with decisions about treatment options

New Patient Referral at Tom Baker Cancer Centre

For service information, visit the Tom Baker Cancer Centre website.

Nutrition Counselling - Cancer

Nutrition plays a key role in providing the best care to cancer patients for prevention, symptom control, treatment and quality of life. Registered Dietitians provide patients and their families with expertise in the field of nutrition care including:

• nutrition assessment
• counselling and education available in individual and group formats
• nutrition classes

Related services:

• Power of Nutrition During Cancer Treatment
• Nutriton Myths and Cancer

Oncology and Sexuality, Intimacy & Survivorship Program

A variety of in-person programs and services for patients (and their partners) across Alberta. Virtual support by telephone and over zoom available to patients across the province. Topics covered include:

• female sexuality and cancer
• male sexuality and cancer
• erectile dysfunction
• vaginal health
• lose of sexual desire

Group education offered by OASIS include:

• The "Low Down" on "Down There"
• Sexual Mechanics for Men: A Workshop for Men

Outpatient Cancer Drug Benefit Program

Cancer drugs are provided, without charge, to registered Alberta cancer patients through specific locations in the province.

Please refer to the Alberta Health Services Cancer Drug Benefit Program.

Patient Email Well Wishes

As part of our support for patient care and comfort, friends and family of inpatients at hospital and health care facilities can send well wishes via email. Sites participating in the program will receive the message, will ensure that the message is only "well-wish" (any other type of communication will be deleted) and will arrange for delivery within 3 business days. A couple of important reminders - the electronic delivery system is not a secure connection, so please don't add any confidential information to your message. Plus the "well-wish" system does not allow for replies or confirm receipt / delivery confirmation.

Patient Information

Services offered:

• responding to patient location inquires
• providing direction on a patients whereabouts

Psychosocial Oncology

This service provides help for patients and their family with coping with the stress that often comes with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Taking care of your emotional, social, spiritual and practical well-being is an important part of your treatment plan and coping.

We are a part of your oncology treatment team. We offer different types of programs and services to support your wellbeing;

• Individual, couple and family counselling
• Professionally-led support groups
• Practical support for your finances and other basic needs
• Classes and programs

Availability of programs and services changes depending on the cancer centre.

Services may be available via telephone, online platform (Zoom) or at your healthcare centre through Telehealth.

Pamphlets:

• Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Patient Navigation
• Cancer Care Drug Coverage
• Counselling and Support
• Indigenous Cancer Patient Navigator
• Oncology and Sexuality, Intimacy & Survivorship (OASIS)

Radiation Therapy

Provides radiation therapy for treating tumours.

Registration

Patient Registration registers:

• and pre-registers patients and collects demographic and financial information
• patients for inpatient admissions, ambulatory clinic appointment, and emergency department services

Rehabilitation Oncology - Speech Language Pathology

Rehabilitation has many benefits: It can help manage various cancer-related symptoms and side effects such as pain, lymphedema, fatigue and changes in thinking, memory, speech, language, voice quality and mobility.

The Rehabilitation Oncology program consists of a team of rehabilitation specialists including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, a physiatrist and speech and language therapists. Services vary per location, however many services may be accessed through virtual care (e.g. phone, Zoom, Telehealth):

• Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) in Edmonton: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech & Language Therapy
• Grande Prairie Cancer Centre: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Language Pathology
• Holy Cross Centre in Calgary: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Physiatry. Physiatrists are medical doctors specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Jack Ady Cancer Centre in Lethbridge: Physiotherapy
• Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC): Speech & Language Therapy

The speech and language pathologists / therapists provide assessment and treatment of issues and changes caused by cancer treatment including:

• swallowing
• speech
• language
• voice

Assessments may include instrumental assessments (may include Modified Barium Swallowing Studies, Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Studies or Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing).

Assessment and treatments are offered in in-person, groups settings and virtually (through phone and online platforms like Zoom and Telehealth).

Depending on the site / location, SLP services are provided in / out of the hospital centre (inpatient / outpatient), and in the community (ambulatory / outpatient care).

Your doctor will get a written report after your assessment.

For more information, please visit: Cancer Care Alberta: Rehabilitation Oncology

Spiritual Care Services

Provision of spiritual health care by clinically trained Spiritual Health Practitioners to patients and families across diverse spiritual, religious, cultural, and philosophical values, beliefs, and practices.

Spirituality is a dimension of health. A Spiritual Health Practitioner (SHP) is a member of the health care team that can help you understand your unique health journey in light of your personal beliefs, values, relationships and experiences. Spiritual healthcare is confidential, inclusive, compassionate, and respectful and SHPs are skilled in providing philosophical, spiritual, and religious patient care across beliefs, cultural perspectives, and practices. They address spiritual distress (experiences of loss of meaning and connection in relation to yourself, to others and to what you understand as greater) and promote spiritual well-being (connection in relation to yourself, to others and to what you understand as greater).

A SHP will listen compassionately and work with you to determine the support you want and need. Services may include the following:

• counselling (supportive, problem focused or grief counselling), to help you:
• find strength to accept what is happening.
• find meaning and connection in the midst of illness, injury and trauma.
• cope better with pain and discomfort
• understand feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and loneliness
• understand what’s important to you and make decisions about your health.
• support when facing ethical dilemma, moral distress, and the need to make difficult decisions.
• being an advocate to support patients / families as they navigate the health care system in light of their spiritual, religious, philosophical and cultural beliefs, values, and practices
• connecting with religious and / or cultural supports and services
• providing palliative and end of life spiritual care

Switchboard

These services include:

• answering incoming telephone calls
• transferring telephone calls and
• giving out authorized telephone numbers

Volunteer Resources

Our volunteer roles share a commitment to improving the quality of the patient and family experience.

Volunteers are:

• way-finders who help guide patients and families around our busy facilities,
• friendly visitors who spend time with our socially isolated patients,
• patient and family advisors who provide input and direction to AHS on numerous committees,
• supporters of our volunteer retail operations - where the proceeds are returned to AHS to provide patient care and comfort.

For general information about volunteering with AHS please visit our website.