IF YOU ARE AT WAR WITH CANCER,
H. ope
O. pportunities
P. articipation
E. ducation
CAN HELP YOU WIN.
The mission of the H.O.P.E. Foundation is to help people whose
lives have been touched by loss -- of health, of independence,
of a loved one -- particularly from cancer, by providing
individual and group suppport, educational programs, and
information to alleviate and mitigate the individual burdens
they share.
Patiends, family members, health care professionals call the
H.O.P.E. Foundation 818-954-0080.
"Information made available to me by Free-Net personnel
enabled me to find an effective experimental way of dealing
with my cancer; it saved my life."
Free-Net user
HOPE
----
Hope is the single most powerful word in the English language.
It is a valuable tool in the fight against cancer, and is nurtured
by good medical care, emotional support and by education.
In 1979, ten members of the Los Angeles community recognized
that emotional support and information for patients and families
touched by cancer were not being adequately supplied by existing
community services. Using their own funds, these ten determined
people established the H.O.P.E. Foundation to meet those needs.
They made it possible for thousands of others to benefit from a
unique network of counseling, of information services and of
oncology nurse education programs that continue to be the core
of the Foundation's programs.
OPPORTUNITIES
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Many and varied opportunities for giving and for receiving are
available through the H.O.P.E. Foundations. Since all services are
provided at no charge, financial donations and fund-raising efforts
are always welcome and needed. Volunteers with experiences to
share, time, expertise or resources to offer are encouraged to join.
The Foundation is constantly looking for unmet community needs in
the fight against cancer. With appropriate support, new programs
are then established to satisy thoses needs.
PARTICIPATION
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Through H.O.P.E., individuals take an active role in their own
healing process. They gain access to information enabling them
to become more effective consumers of health care services.
They participate in groups, sharing experiences and receiving
needed understanding, acceptance and support. All groups are led
by licensed therapists or interns carefully chosen and supervised
by the Foundation.
Cancer Support Groups:
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Cancer patients and their families have an immediate need to
express their feelings in a safe and non-judgmental environ-
ment, to talk to others with similar expereinces to alleviate
their fears, and to recognize that they are not alone. The cancer
support groups serve these needs. Meeting weekly with no
pre-set agenda, participants discuss whatever is most important
to them in a setting that provides compassion, continuity and a
safe place in which to share.
Visualization Group:
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This group for patients and their families teaches the visualiz-
ation and stress management techniques that help maintain a
positive attitude for health.
Most support groups dwell on the sadness and pain of cancer.
Creative visualization takes action in a positive direction so
you can geel as though you are participating in your own
healing process.
"I come tired. I always leave the class feeling energized."
Participants in the visualization group.
Bereavement Counseling Groups:
-----------------------------
These groups for widows and widowers are the heart of H.O.P.E.'s
support system. Unique to this program is the opportunity for
people to share their concerns in groups organized around the
stages of the healing process in a non-threatening and accepting
environment.
Participants move through six support groups organized around the
time elapsed since the loss of a spouse, just as they move through
stages of mourning. After two years, members graduate from the
program having found solance, understanding and new friends.
The success of this unique approach was recognized by the Drown
Foundation when it awarded H.O.P.E. a grant to create and distribute
a handbook for counselors wishing to establish similar groups in
their won communities.
"It was wonderful being able to share my thoughts knowing that
someone else was feeling the same way. I wasn't felling alone."
"It saved my life. It was a place for me to go where I didn't feel
out of place. I felt like I belonged."
EDUCATION
---------
H.O.P.E.'s educational programs are targeted to patients and
their families, nurses, physicians and other health-care
professionals, legislators and the general public.
Established with a family endowment and with grants from
Hospital Corporation of America, American Medical International
and Triad Hospital Corporation, the Dorey heller Oncology Nurse
Education Program offers quarterly seminars on frontier topics
in oncology, conducted by innovators from around the country,
to oncology nurses in the Southern California area. Hundreds of
nurses and other health-care professionals have benefited from
these seminars since they were begun in 1987.
These courses, organized by an advisory panel of nursing education
directors and oncology nurse specialists, satisfy education
requirements set by the Oncology Nursing Society for certification.
The H.O.P.E. Foundation is full accredited by the Stat of California
Board of registered Nursing to award continuing education credist
to participants in the seminars.
The Free-Net is a computer-based community information service
accessed through the phone lines, initially established at Case
Western University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1986. the Free-Net
program now has 30 networked stations in 13 states and three
foreign countries. H.O.P.E. Foundation physicians provide the
Cancer Information Service that is a primary part of the health
information available on the system worldwide. This service
is an example of the Foundations's use of modern technology to
provide the same information and support internationally that
H.O.P.E. provides on a person-to-person basis in its own
community.
Volunteer Opportunities:
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All H.O.P.E.'s programs are supported by volunteers who
contribute their time energy and resources to insuring that the
programs continue.
Programs will continue and grow, of course, but plans for the
future include expanding services to include:
o Person-to-person services for people with special needs,
like transportation to doctor's appointments.
o Computer-based support groups for the homebound through the
Free-Net.
o Training programs for health care professionals in H.O.P.E.'s
unique approach to bereavement counseling through conferences,
teleconferences, and distribution of the handbook.
o A support group for children.
o Bereavement groups for people with a special concern, like
widows and widowers with small children.
For information about programs, referrals or volunteer
opportunties, write to the
H.O.P.E. Foundation
16161 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 597
Encino, California 91436
Phone 818-954-0080
The H.O.P.E. Foundation is not affiliated in any way with the
City of Hope.
The H.O.P.E. Foundation is a federally and state registered non-
profit public service organization and holds the status of a
501(c)(3) as defined by statute. Its directors serve voluntarily
and do not receive financial compensation.