Cancer Treatment and Care - Cancer Care Centres

Cancer centres are located within local regional hospitals / health centres. They deliver a range of treatments and care options to cancer patients as close to home as possible, including outpatient chemotherapy, education, and support.

Contact a centre for information or educational material related to cancer.

Cashier Services

Cashier services performs financial transactions, including the acceptance of payment for patient fees.

Chemotherapy / Systemic Cancer Locations

This service uses systemic treatment (anti-cancer medicine) to treat cancer. This may include:

• immunotherapy
• chemotherapy
• targeted therapy
• hormonal therapy
• radiation therapy

Classes and / or resources are available.

Complex Cancer Management Service

This service operates on a consultative basis in conjunction with patients’ existing oncology and community care teams. Patients are seen by a physician or nurse practitioner. The team will follow the patient's progress until symptoms are stable, and management is then continued by patients’ existing oncology and community-based providers.

Dyspnea and Pleurex Clinics

Clinic for patients with a presumed or confirmed malignant pleural effusion, specializing in tunneled pleural catheters.

Health Information - Access and Disclosure

In accordance with Alberta's Health Information Act, this is a service which enables the release of individually identifiable health information with or without the consent of an individual.

For detailed instructions, frequently asked questions and forms, please visit Access & Disclosure | Alberta Health Services.

Health Information / Records Management

Completes patient charts, collects data, data entry and coding, collects patient information, dictates notes, and transcribes inpatient and outpatient charts.

Laboratory Services

Effective December 5, 2022, walk-in or pre-scheduled appointments will no longer be accepted at select locations.

For information on service restrictions or to book an appointment, visit APL Appointments & Booking.

Laboratory Services provides collection of blood and body fluids for tests ordered by your doctor or healthcare provider including a comprehensive range of routine and specialized lab testing and clinical consultations:

• blood and body fluid sample collection
• biochemistry and toxicology
• electrocardiogram (ECG)
• genetics and genomics
• urinalysis
• transfusion medicine
• hematology
• coagulation studies
• microbiology
• public health testing
• serology
• surgical pathology
• cytopathology
• autopsy pathology
• student practicum training for medical lab technologists and medical lab assistants

Note: Some locations may not offer the full range of testing. To confirm availability of a specific test, contact the location.

Look Good Feel Better

A free workshop to support women with cancer. Each woman gets cosmetic products and learns makeup tips to help manage side effects from their treatments. Information is also provided about hair and headwear. For more information about wigs, scarves, hats, skin care, and makeup, see our website.

Lowdown on Down There

Provides help with:

• vaginal pain
• loss of sexual interest
• questions about vaginal health

Participation involves completion of surveys as this program is offered as part of a research program.

This workshop is provided by the Oncology And Sexuality, Intimacy and Survivorship Program (OASIS) service.

Nutrition Counselling - Cancer

Nutrition plays a key role in providing the best care to cancer patients for prevention, symptom control, treatment and quality of life. Registered Dietitians provide patients and their families with expertise in the field of nutrition care including:

• nutrition assessment
• counselling and education available in individual and group formats
• nutrition classes

Oncology and Sexuality, Intimacy & Survivorship Program

A variety of in-person programs and services for patients (and their partners) in Calgary and Edmonton. Telehealth consultations are available to patients across the province. Patients can now get help in the privacy of their home. Topics covered include:

• female sexuality and cancer
• male sexuality and cancer
• erectile dysfunction
• vaginal health
• lose of sexual desire
• fertility

Workshops offered by OASIS include:

• Lowdown on Down There

Outpatient Cancer Drug Benefit Program

Cancer drugs are provided, without charge, to registered Alberta cancer patients through specific locations in the province.

Please refer to the Alberta Health Services Cancer Drug Benefit Program.

Patient Email Well Wishes

As part of our support for patient care and comfort, friends and family of inpatients at hospital and health care facilities can send well wishes via email. Sites participating in the program will receive the message, will ensure that the message is only "well-wish" (any other type of communication will be deleted) and will arrange for delivery within 3 business days. A couple of important reminders - the electronic delivery system is not a secure connection, so please don't add any confidential information to your message. Plus the "well-wish" system does not allow for replies or confirm receipt / delivery confirmation.

Patient Information

Services offered:

• responding to patient location inquires
• providing direction on a patients whereabouts

Psychosocial Oncology

This service provides help for patients and their family with coping with the stress that often comes with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Taking care of your emotional, social, spiritual and practical well-being is an important part of your treatment plan and coping.
We are a part of your oncology treatment team. We offer different types of programs and services to support your wellbeing;

• Individual, couple and family counselling
• Professionally-led support groups
• Practical support for your finances and other basic needs
• Classes and programs

Availability of programs and services changes depending on the cancer centre.

Services may be available via telephone / video online.

Radiation Therapy

Provides radiation therapy for treating tumours.

Registration

Patient Registration

• registers and pre-registers patients and collects demographic and financial information.
• registers patients for inpatient admissions, ambulatory clinic appointment, and emergency department services

Rehabilitation Oncology - Speech Language Pathology

Rehabilitation has many benefits: It can help manage various cancer-related symptoms and side effects such as pain, lymphedema, fatigue and changes in thinking, memory, speech, language, voice quality and mobility.

The Rehabilitation Oncology program consists of a team of rehabilitation specialists including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, a physiatrist and speech and language therapists. Services vary per location, however many services may be accessed through virtual care (e.g. phone, Zoom, Telehealth):

• Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) in Edmonton: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech & Language Therapy
• Grande Prairie Cancer Centre: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Language Pathology
• Holy Cross Centre in Calgary: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Physiatry. Physiatrists are medical doctors specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Jack Ady Cancer Centre in Lethbridge: Physiotherapy
• Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC): Speech & Language Therapy

The Speech and Language Pathologists/ Therapists provide assessment and treatment of issues and changes caused by cancer treatment including:

• swallowing
• speech
• language
• voice

Assessments may include instrumental assessments (may include Modified Barium Swallowing Studies, Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Studies or Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing).

Assessment and treatments are offered in in-person, groups settings and virtually (through phone and online platforms like Zoom and Telehealth).

Depending on the site/ location, SLP services are provided in/ out of the hospital centre (inpatient/outpatient), and in the community (ambulatory/ outpatient care).

Your doctor will get a written report after your assessment.

For more information, please visit: Cancer Care Alberta: Rehabilitation Oncology

Spiritual Care Services

This Service Provides spiritual and emotional support for patients, families and staff as an integral part of the multidisciplinary care team that works within the health care system to assess and address spiritual care needs, which may include:

• spiritual assessment and intervention
• facilitating rituals and sacraments (e.g. sweet-grass, sacrament of the sick)
• decision-making support and supportive care for patient and family at end-of-life
• collaboration with religious leaders at patient's and / or family's request
• serving as a resource to care team on topics such as communication, religious and cultural awareness, grief and bereavement, compassion fatigue, and spiritual needs assessment
• daily 24-hour (on-call) coverage at most acute care centres

Chaplains adhere to professional standards of practice for spiritual care delivery.

For more information visit our webpage

Switchboard

These services include:

• answering incoming telephone calls
• transferring telephone calls and
• giving out authorized telephone numbers

Volunteer Resources

Our volunteer roles share a commitment to improving the quality of the patient and family experience.

Volunteers are:

• way-finders who help guide patients and families around our busy facilities,
• friendly visitors who spend time with our socially isolated patients,
• patient and family advisors who provide input and direction to AHS on numerous committees,
• supporters of our volunteer retail operations - where the proceeds are returned to AHS to provide patient care and comfort.

For general information about volunteering with AHS please visit our website.