Longtime community fundraiser Voices of Hope, a 150-member nonprofit group that uses the performing arts to raise awareness and funds for cancer research and patient care, recently surpassed $1 million donated to the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Over the last decade, the organization has become fully embedded in Mass General’s cancer community, known for bringing their infectious spirit and dedication to patients and staff alike — whether by honoring nurses at a concert or lifting patients’ moods by inviting them to join in Christmas caroling at Mass General, an annual tradition. With their intrepid fundraising efforts, which include annual musical performances, a summer youth program and golf tournaments, Voices of Hope has emerged as an invaluable partner that provides vital support for initiatives that would otherwise go unfunded.
“Why Not Us?”
Termeer Center Nursing Director Casandra McIntyre, RN, has witnessed this commitment and connection firsthand. Voices of Hope enabled her team to purchase comfortable new chairs for friends and family members sitting with patients in the infusion bay, often for hours and hours at a time, a cost she says most people might not realize is very burdensome.
“As a nursing director, it’s been shocking for me to learn how expensive anything used in a clinical setting is, even just chairs for loved ones,” Casandra says. “It’s enormously helpful to have funds provided by Voices of Hope to be able to make improvements like this.”
Recently, Casandra used Voices of Hope resources to purchase a few dozen copies of Dr. Hawk and Mr. Hare, a children’s book written by Termeer patient Coney Flowers about her cancer journey, to pass out to patients in the pediatric cancer unit. Casandra is also using the Voices of Hope “travel fund” to help remove what she says is the primary barrier cancer patients face when accessing clinical trial treatment: transportation.
“A very small percentage of cancer patients ever consider a clinical trial, and it can be very difficult for anyone who isn’t financially comfortable to even find out about trials, let alone get to and from a clinic for the many visits that are required on a Phase 1 trial,” she says. “This fund eliminates one major barrier that many patients face, by removing the financial and logistical burden of getting to and from the hospital for their lifesaving treatments.”
Greg Chastain, founder and president of Voices of Hope, serves as a community representative on the Termeer Center Institutional Review Board — helping to review trials and ensuring patient safety and well-being — where he’s strengthened his awareness about the importance of philanthropic funding.
“Pharmaceutical companies don’t cover costs for patients on trials, and these costs can really break the bank for many people. We are proud to be able to contribute in this way,” he says. “Someone has to help these patients: why not us?”
Boosting Nursing Research
Voices of Hope also funds the work of Debra Lundquist, RN, PhD, nurse scientist at the Termeer Center. Her research focuses on the patient and family experience of cancer clinical trial participation. She is currently conducting a pilot study of a nurse-led intervention to enhance the quality of life for patients on clinical trials at the Termeer Center. Her goal is to develop interventions targeted to improve quality of life and address physical and psychosocial concerns of clinical trial participants, and their caregivers.
Participation on clinical trials can be time intensive with frequent visits of varying duration, especially in the first month of treatment. Discovering and addressing potential unmet needs and concerns of participants can improve their experience on clinical trials and may improve patient outcomes.
“Long-term, my hope is to expand this work and conduct multi-site randomized trials to assess the effectiveness of these interventions,” she says. “The goal would be to take what we develop here and bring it to other institutions — broadening its impact and, ideally, helping it evolve into a standard of care practice.”
Empowering nurses, like Dr. Lundquist, to conduct clinical studies optimizes the effectiveness of Mass General’s research efforts — a cornerstone of its mission. She works closely with the research nurses at the Termeer Center, who play a unique role within the multidisciplinary care team, meeting patients at the time of consent, and then staying with them throughout the duration of the trial. That continuity allows trust and understanding to naturally grow over time, which in turn, improves the quality of the research.
“It’s not just about our day-to-day interactions with patients, it’s also about gathering data to deepen our understanding of their experiences,” she says. That data helps her team to identify patterns, uncover gaps and ultimately, develop targeted interventions to enrich patient care in meaningful ways.
“Mass General is an incredible place to implement and test new interventions,” Dr. Lundquist says. “The academic environment fosters a culture of innovation and a constant drive to innovate and improve the patient experience. As we identify areas for improvement, we can focus on how we can implement meaningful changes for patients. I’m incredibly grateful for Voices of Hope’s vision to support the whole patient experience.”
To make a gift to support the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, click here.
