b'S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 25HOPE Resource Center pivots for LRGH surgeWhen LRGHealthcare suspendedWe knew that all of those people cancer treatments in Laconia in Marchthat we were wanting to connect 2020, social workers at Concordwith had increased anxiety due to Hospital Payson Center for Cancertheir diagnosis, were experiencing Care were called on to providemore isolation due to COVID-19, were support for hundreds of new patientsworried about transportation and had and their families. other concerns that we could help Because of pandemic safetywith, Druke said.guidelines, the support includedWorking under COVID-19 safety connecting by phone or telehealthguidelines and faced with the huge video conference, accompanyingincrease in patients, Druke said the patients to treatment when lovedThere was much more legworkcare team at Payson Center worked ones could not and arrangingmaking calls and trying todiligently to schedule everyone transportation for patients travelingmake connections to try to \x1c ndpromptly, make sure they could get to farther for care. transportation for patients, saidtreatment and ease any anxiety.Just as more patients needed ridesOncology Social Worker NancyIt is great to be able to rely on to treatment, many organizationsDruke(shown above) . With folksthe other social work sta\x1e , nurse ended volunteer driving programsfrom LRGH coming down to Concordnavigators, our dietitian and the because of COVID-19, ramping upfor treatment, we had to look atnurses and doctors who are all equally anxiety for current and new Paysontransportation organizations that weworking hard to make sure that Center patients. When the programsdidnt typically connect with and tryall patients get the best care they gradually resumed services, they hadto establish those relationships andpossibly can, she said.fewer drivers, again, because ofthose connections.the pandemic.It added pressure on social workers to connect with patients promptly.With folks from LRGH coming down to Concord for treatment, we had to look at transportation organizations that we didnt typically connect with and try to establish those relationships and those connections. Nancy Druke, HOPE Resource Oncology Social Worker'