South County Hospital in Rhode Island Receives STAR Program® Certification
(Wakefield, RI) South County Hospital, has announced that it has earned its STAR Program® Certification. The certification qualifies South County Hospital to offer the STAR Program, a state-of-the-art cancer rehabilitation program that will help survivors recover from the side effects and aftereffects of treatments.
STAR Program Certification is part of a statewide initiative currently taking place in Rhode Island. Through a generous donation from the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, South County Hospital was able to make cancer rehabilitation the standard of care for its survivors.
STAR Program Certification is an offering of the Massachusetts-based healthcare company Oncology Rehab Partners, and it provides hospitals and cancer centers with the tools needed (training for clinical staff and evaluation and treatment protocols) to quickly and effectively implementevidence-based cancer rehabilitation services for survivors suffering from post-treatment symptoms such as pain, fatigue, weakness, and emotional distress.
Oncology Rehab Partners’ founder Julie Silver, MD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and herself a cancer survivor, said, “By becoming STAR Program Certified, South County Hospital is dedicated to helping survivors function at a higher level through cancer rehabilitation.”
All of the services offered by the STAR Program are covered by health insurance and are designed to rehabilitate survivors of all forms and stages of cancer. The program uses a multidisciplinary clinical approach, whereby a team of experts—rehabilitation medicine physicians, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dieticians, medical social workers, and nurse practitioners—works with each patient on a personalized rehabilitation plan to increase strength and energy, alleviate pain, and improve daily function and well-being.
Outpatient Dietician Bonnie Seekell, MS,RD,LDN,CDOE,CVDOE commented, “The STAR Program training certification offered a tremendous breadth and depth of information on cancer survivorship. The interdisciplinary team concept will provide a strong support system to cancer survivors here at South County Hospital.”
