Hospital of Central Connecticut Nurse Navigator Helps Breast Cancer Patients
Content provided courtesy of Hospital of Central Connecticut
Posted: 5 February 2009
As HCC's new breast nurse navigator, Donna Boehm, R.N., M.S.N., M.P.H., will help patients diagnosed with cancer and other breast diseases throughout their treatment.
“When people learn they have breast cancer, everything stops,” Boehm said. “Most are scared, and it’s hard for them to process all the information they’re receiving. My role is to calmly support them, answer their questions and empower them to make decisions about their treatment by ensuring they have the information they need.”
Boehm’s duties include:
- Educating patients and their loved ones about the patient’s diagnosis
- Helping patients make informed decisions about treatment
- Advocating for patients during treatment
- Working with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals to coordinate patients’ care
- Providing moral support throughout diagnoses, treatment and recovery
In the future, Boehm hopes to establish support groups for breast cancer patients and survivors, and provide community education about breast cancer and other breast health topics.
Boehm started her career as a staff oncology nurse in Chicago and has extensive experience in home and hospice care. Before joining The Hospital of Central Connecticut, she was vice president of quality management and staff development for Connecticut Visiting Nurse Association in Wallingford.
Boehm earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Concordia-West Suburban College of Nursing, River Forest, Ill.; her master’s degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing; and her master’s of public health from Yale University School of Medicine.
