During a recent art therapy group for cancer patients, one participant painted Northern California’s Chandelier Tree, a massive redwood with an opening large enough for a car to pass through. When Krystal Luong, supervisor, Cancer Resource Center, Harris Health, asked about the painting, the patient said the tree represented Harris Health and its cancer support services.
“‘You are like that tree—while hollow inside, it still stands to support everything, just like Harris Health does as patients go through it,’” Luong recalls, reflecting on Harris Health’s approach to oncology: treating not only cancer, but the whole person.
“We don’t just treat the disease,” she adds. “We look at what patients need to keep going—whether that’s childcare, food on the table, financial assistance or support for their emotional well-being.”
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate,” says Amineh Kostov, senior vice president, System Service Lines, Harris Health. “A cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, even for someone familiar with healthcare. We must be intentional about organizing our access points and resources so patients can focus on getting through one of the most challenging times in their lives.”
Harris Health’s cancer program brings together medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, nurses, genetic counselors, pathologists, nutritionists, interventional radiologists and other specialists. The multidisciplinary team coordinates each patient’s diagnosis, treatment and support around an individualized plan.
Services include diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, genetic counseling and survivorship care. Partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine, UTHealth Houston and UT MD Anderson Cancer Center also connect eligible patients with clinical trials.
Harris Health’s unified cancer program—spanning Ben Taub Hospital, Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and Smith Clinic—holds three-year Commission on Cancer accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons. Smith Clinic, the system’s primary hub for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, is also designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.
To learn more about Harris Health’s Cancer Care Program, visit harrishealth.org.