Cancer Support Community Endorses Psychosocial Standards of Care For Children with Cancer and their Families

WASHINGTON – The Cancer Support Community, an international cancer nonprofit, has endorsed the Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and their families that were published in a 2015 special issue of Pediatric Blood and Cancer. The scientific, evidence-based psychosocial standards define a minimum level of care that all children with cancer and their families should receive. The Standards were developed following rigorous research and academic requirements and processes, and involved over 80 clinicians and researchers from the US, Canada and the Netherlands.

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation spearheaded the effort to create and implement Standards of Care to ensure patients and families have access to a minimum level of psychosocial care from the time of diagnosis, through survivorship, or end of life and bereavement care. “Having our child diagnosed with cancer, undergo treatment, and die from this disease, we learned that childhood cancer is not just about the medicine! The psychological impact of childhood cancer is just as real as the physical consequences for patients and their families," said Vicki and Peter Brown, Co-Founders of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation and parents of Mattie Brown.

“Social and emotional support are just as important as medical care in the face of a cancer diagnosis. We support these new Psychosocial Standards of Care and share with The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation the goal of ensuring that children with cancer and their families have access to comprehensive cancer care that includes quality psychosocial support,” said Vicki Kennedy, LCSW, Vice President of Program Development and Delivery at the Cancer Support Community.

The development of the Psychosocial Standards of Care is a major step forward in addressing the needs of children with cancer and their families. The integration of psychosocial care along with disease-directed treatment improves the quality of life across the cancer trajectory. Depression and other psychosocial concerns can affect adherence to treatment regimens and decrease coping abilities. Therefore, making psychosocial care as essential component of standard treatment maximizes positive treatment outcomes.

Now that the Psychosocial Standards of Care for Children with Cancer and Their Families have been published, The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation and the team of pediatric oncology experts will work to encourage the rapid adoption of the Standards in clinical sites throughout the country. Learn more at www.mattiemiracle.com.

About The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity, is dedicated to increasing childhood cancer awareness, education, advocacy, research and psychosocial support services to children, their families, and health care personnel. Children with cancer and their families must be supported throughout the cancer treatment journey, from date of diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, end of life and bereavement, and we must ensure access to quality psychosocial and mental health care are always provided, so that children and their families can cope with cancer and lead as happy and as productive lives as possible.