At some point in your life, you or someone you love will hear those words. They’re chilling. They mean that everything that you know and understand is going to change.

But they don’t mean that you’re alone.

As most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is one of the three most common kinds of cancer in Tarrant County, along with colon and prostate cancer. This October, the staff of the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center (JKCRC) at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth wants you to know that they’re here to help you on your journey from diagnosis to survivorship.

I recently spoke with Angie Fraticelli, BSW All Saints’ Director of Oncology; Amanda McGreevy, a nurse navigator; and Toni Young and Kristi Evans, lay navigators and breast cancer survivors. We spoke about what makes JKCRC special.

“We have, in full, seven navigators,” Angie said. “We have five nurse navigators – a breast cancer navigator, lung, gynecological, head and neck cancers, and a general navigator for other diagnoses. Plus our lay navigators, Kristi and Toni.”

Group Therapy
Photo courtesy of Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

Nurse navigator Amanda said, “We meet patients at all different times in their cancer journey – from the mammogram to their diagnosis through their surgery to survivorship. We get to help guide them through.”

Navigators are advocates, cheerleaders, guides, and educators. They are a friendly face when the world is crumbling around you. They are a helping hand when figuring out insurance gets overwhelming. They’re a shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with.

“We’re able to give that emotional support from somebody who’s been there and done that,” lay navigator Kristi said. She’s a 14-year breast cancer survivor who took advantage of the services offered by JKCRC. Lay navigator Toni, a 19-year breast cancer survivor, went through her cancer journey before the Center existed.

“Without navigators, you’re alone,” Toni said. “We give everyone a personal business card with our contact info so that we can help whenever.”

Amanda added, “You’re always going to have the fear. Cancer is scary. But having the navigators helps alleviate some of that fear because you don’t have to rely on Google.”

Toni laughed, “Believe me, Google is NOT your friend.”

Art Therapy
Photo courtesy of Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

In addition to the nurse and lay navigators, JKCRC offers support groups, art therapy, exercise programs like yoga and rehabilitative exercise, nutritional support (every patient going through chemotherapy gets a cookbook to help support their nutritional needs), and a comprehensive survivorship program that addresses physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.

“The support doesn’t end,” Amanda said. “Just because someone is 30 days postop, we don’t end our relationship with them.”

“Survivorship means forever,” Kristi added.

Additionally, the Survivor Gals Salon is located inside JKCRC and offers wigs, mastectomy bras and prostheses, compression products, as well as scarves, hats, and skin care products. “We have a partnership with them,” Angie said. “We can assist uninsured or underinsured patients with prostheses or wigs if they are eligible.”

All non-medical services at JKCRC are free to patients and their families, regardless of whether they are being treated at BSW All Saints. It doesn’t matter if you’re female or male, insured or uninsured; you are welcome.

Yoga
Photo courtesy of Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Angie, Amanda, Kristi, and Toni urge you to get a mammogram. They also strongly suggest downloading the Know Your Lemons® app. This app educates you on the 12 signs of breast cancer, helps you calculate your risk, allows you to make a screening plan, and reminds you to perform your monthly self-examinations. And make sure the men in your life download it, too. While breast cancer isn’t as common in men as it is in women, men do get it, and because they aren’t as aware of it, they are more likely to catch it at a later stage.

At the end of our conversation, I asked the navigators what they are most proud of.

“I’m most proud of the comfort and hope I can bring,” Kristi said. “I know how scared I was, and I’m just glad I can pay it forward.”

Amanda said, “When someone has just left the doctor’s office, getting the worst news possible, and I can sit and talk with them for a couple of hours, and they’re entirely different when they leave, that’s the best. They know they’re not alone. That’s the reason we’re here.”

“It’s giving someone hope when they’re hopeless,” Toni said. “When they’re tired, afraid, and scared, you can’t help but be lifted up when you can help them.”

Photo courtesy of Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

The post Giving Hope When All Seems Hopeless first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Now, almost 120 years later, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth has been recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings again.

How many of us had our children at Andrews Women’s Hospital? How many of us or our loved ones have received cutting edge treatment and from-the-heart care at the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center? Baylor Scott & White All Saints has been caring for its community for over a century. And now, our hometown hospital has been recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings for the 3^rd consecutive year in a row.

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

Unlike some other “Best Ofs” and “Nation’s Best” rankings, U.S. News & World Report uses objective data sources, such as Medicare claims and other publicly available data, for their ranking instead of public voting or other methods. U.S. News evaluates 15 specialty areas of care, including cancer care, orthopedics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery.

Baylor Scott & White All Saints has been included in U.S. News & World Report’ regional “metro area” rankings as early as 2011 and consistently as #3 in DFW since the 2023-2024 rankings.

Out of 4500 hospitals evaluated by U.S. News & World Reports for their 2025-2026 rankings, Baylor Scott & White All Saints ranked:

• #13 in Texas
• #3 in Dallas-Fort Worth
• Named to the Best Regional Hospitals list in DFW
• High Performing in 5 specialties (up from 4):
  • Diabetes & Endocrinology (previously nationally ranked #39)
  • Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
  • Geriatrics
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
• High Performing in 9 procedures/conditions (up from 7):
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (new)
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • Colon Cancer Surgery
  • Diabetes (new)
  • Heart Arrhythmia (new to USNWR)

To be named a Best Regional Hospital, a hospital must earn at least eight High Performing* ratings out of the 22 evaluated procedures and conditions, have at least five more high Performing ratings than the total number of Evaluated (the lowest tier) ratings it received, and offer a full range of general medical and surgical procedures, as opposed to a specialty hospital.

*To be rated as High Performing in a specialty or procedure, a hospital must be significantly better than the national average in outcomes in that particular specialty or procedure.

So congratulations to our hometown hospital! Baylor Scott & White All Saints – Fort Worth has proven once again that they are a top-tier hospital. Not that there was any doubt!

The post Baylor Scott & White All Saints Recognized Again first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

It’s true. In a single day you could enjoy some of the best BBQ or Mexican food on earth, watch a cattle drive, stroll through galleries of world-famous paintings and sculptures, hear an opera, and heaven forbid if you fall off your horse, receive second-to-none medical treatment. That’s because, as of last month, Baylor Scott & White All Saints in Fort Worth has been awarded their second Magnet Designation and their first Magnet with Distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The Magnet with Distinction Recognition Program® was started in 2023 to celebrate hospitals and health care organizations that exceed the scoring thresholds required to attain Magnet® designation, which Baylor Scott & White All Saints had previously achieved. The award is only bestowed upon hospitals that are able to demonstrate, through validated empirical data, a level of nursing excellence that sets them head and shoulders above the rest. In fact, only .26% of hospitals operate at a level that warrant Magnet with Distinction Recognition!

Baylor All Saints Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Ulondia Lee, said of the momentous occasion, “As a mother myself, I know how important it is to feel confident in the care you and your family receive. Achieving Magnet with Distinction reaffirms our commitment to delivering the highest standard of nursing excellence, compassionate care, and patient outcomes. It’s a true honor to serve a community of families who trust us with their most precious moments — from welcoming new life to supporting every stage of health and healing.”

Achieving Magnet level status is an enormous source of pride for any hospital, but a Magnet with Distinction designation raises that already high bar of excellence to heights that are truly lofty. Only top-tier nursing programs are able to achieve such accolades, and those few that have done so are the elite of the nursing profession.

The award is an overt validation of a nursing staff’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence in nursing and patient care. It provides external recognition from top accrediting bodies and industry peers that the organization has gone above and beyond in the areas of nurse engagement and patient experience. Magnet with Distinction designation serves as a testament to an organization’s commitment to achieving excellence and dedication to constant improvement. It is only bestowed upon organizations that are able to demonstrate the highest standards of nursing practices.

There are two paths to achieve Magnet and Magnet with Distinction awards. A hospital must demonstrate no deficiencies in any component and have an exemplar in registered nurse engagement, and/or have no deficiencies in any component of the requirements, have two or more exemplars in patient experience, and at least two exemplars in nursing-sensitive indicators. The standards are extremely high.

According to Tatum Leonard, Director of Clinical Excellence at Baylor All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, who was instrumental in achieving these awards, “This distinction was extremely hard to obtain, but we never did it for the recognition. Our nurses and healthcare team live by our values, which is to empower people to live well. We are dedicated to providing only the most compassionate and cutting-edge care, backed by data and research. We have committed to serve the Fort Worth community with excellence, integrity, and heart—because that’s what our patients deserve, and that’s who we are.”

All of the hard work and dedication needed to achieve these awards has paid off for the Nurses at Baylor Scott & White, but Fort Worth is the real winner. We are extremely lucky and to have access to such high standards of care. Congratulations to the nurses and all of the staff at Baylor Scott & White for this truly spectacular achievement, but mostly, thank you from a grateful city for providing so many of us with the best care possible!

The post Raising the Bar Even Higher first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

With a robust pre and post-delivery education program, Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center staff help to alleviate much of the anxiety of having and caring for a new baby. The state-of-the-art facility with its well-conceived delivery suites is designed to help mothers feel comfortable and safe when “it’s time!”. The comprehensive care provided for a new mother and baby includes services for high-risk pregnancies and neonatal intensive care.

Delivering, on average, 6,000 babies per year (that’s 16 babies per day) means the staff have built a level of experience that Fort Worth mothers find comfort in. It also means they are celebrating their 100,000^th delivery this month!

This monumental achievement is the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by a staff dedicated to providing the highest quality care for a new mother (and her baby).

Tanglewood Moms reached out to two of the fantastic doctors on staff at Andrews Women’s Hospital for their take on what it means to them to be a part of our community and to get to be the first to welcome so many new Fort Worthians into it.

“Having grown up in Tanglewood in the 60s and 70s, I would be glad to respond. Well before Baylor bought All Saints and Baylor and Scott & White joined forces, I worked one summer at All Saints as a surgical orderly. Fast forward twelve years and I came back to Fort Worth to practice in 1991 with my father. When the new Andrews Women’s Hospital first opened in 2008, we were excited to be a part of it, and to think less than 17 years later that we would have delivered over 100,000 tiny Texans is amazing. Andrews Women’s Hospital delivers more babies every year than any other hospital in the metroplex except for Parkland Hospital in Dallas. We are very fortunate to live in a city like Fort Worth and to have the backing of both our generous donors and the Baylor Scott & White system and hope to remain the Best Place to have a baby in Fort Worth.”

Jay Herd, MD
Executive Vice-President of Medical Affairs
Chief Medical Officer
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

“Practicing medicine in general and specifically delivering babies in my hometown of Fort Worth is a dream come true for me. Fort Worth truly is a big city with a small town feel and often I will run into my patients with the children I have helped welcome into the world as I am out and about town – grocery shopping, running the Trinity Trails, or at sporting events watching my own children. I very much feel like an integral part of this community. Andrews Women’s Hospital has been a center for excellence in obstetrics and gynecology here in Fort Worth, thus giving me a home to serve women of my community with the highest quality of care.”

Jamie Lin Walker Erwin, MD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth

Tanglewood Moms would like to offer our thanks and congratulations to Doctors Herd and Erwin, and all the staff at Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center for their continued care of the women of Fort Worth and on their tremendous achievement of delivering 100,000 new babies into our community!

Bravo!

Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community, or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of Baylor Scott & White Health or those medical centers.

The post Welcoming 100,000 New Fort Worthians first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

To that end, Baylor, Scott & White will host the Cover Your Bases event on November 16^th at Globe Life Field. Cover Your Bases is designed to help men “stay ahead of life’s curveballs” by providing information and preliminary screenings for all kinds of health-related issues from hypertension to gastrointestinal conditions, so that we can better understand our risks and take action when and where it’s needed.

Why is this important?

While the usual suspects of heart disease, high blood pressure, and prostate cancer remain the most significant health issues facing men, there are other potentially serious yet treatable issues we need to be aware of. A lot of times, and often out of fear of the unknown, we don’t seek help until we are experiencing symptoms. Knowledge is power, as they say, and gaining knowledge about the risks we face has never been easier.

Men’s health exam with doctor or psychiatrist working with patient having consultation on diagnostic examination on male disease or mental illness in medical clinic or hospital mental health service

However, true knowledge doesn’t come from simply reading an article and hoping you fall on the right side of the statistics. When it comes to your individual health, statistics are meaningless. For example, if one in eight men develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, you need to know if you are the one. Screening is where true knowledge, and therefore power, comes from.

Specifically addressing prostate cancer, Baylor, Scott & White physician Dr. Charles Secrest underscores the importance of screening for all health risks, “Certainly by the time you’re 50, you need to have a PSA screening, but if you have a family history of prostate cancer you are never too young to be screened. It is sad to say, but young men die every day from prostate cancer. Screening saves lives.”

Your primary care provider is usually the first step in the process of making sure you stay on top of your health because they will help keep you on track with your screenings. But if you don’t go to your provider regularly?

Well, that’s precisely why events like Cover Your Bases exist. It’s also going to be a lot of fun. First, Globe Life Field is a way better venue than your doctor’s office for just about anything. While there won’t be crowds cheering you on while you’re talking to doctors about your health, it’s still a Major League BASEBALL STADIUM! Additionally, Dan and Jake from The Dumb Zone podcast will be there. There will be golf simulators, and you will get a stadium tour, so the entertainment level will be high to very high. Finally, they’re going to serve you a complimentary breakfast and there will be some prize giveaways. What else do you need?

While prostate cancer is obviously a big one, Dr. Secrest reiterates that most health conditions are treatable. “A lot of times simple medications can address these issues, and if not, there are often effective and time-proven surgical procedures.” The sooner you know, the better, though, and that is why screening is so important.

The Cover Your Bases event will run from 9 am until noon on Saturday, November 16^th, with a Q&A session with physicians beginning at 10 am. Please see the event flyer for the QR code to register for the event. For more information, please visit www.BSWhealth.com/CoverYourBases

The post Cover Your Bases first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Fortunately, medicine has advanced so that many cancers that were seemingly impossible to treat even twenty years ago are now very survivable. That doesn’t make a diagnosis less scary, but it’s not just medicine that has advanced. The cancer treatment world has advanced to understand that while treating the disease itself is crucial, attending to the non-medical needs of the patient are equally important. Often, diagnosis of a disease is confusing, anxiety-inducing, and isolating.

As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Tanglewood Moms is thrilled to introduce our readers to the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth. This amazing center exists to help alleviate the emotional trauma of a cancer diagnosis through education and support. From diagnosis to wellness, the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center offers a multitude of programs designed to help patients throughout their entire cancer journey. That journey begins with the assignment of a patient navigator who will help steer the patient through all of the resource offerings, ensuring the best possible care and support.

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

These navigators, often survivors themselves, are personal guides who help patients coordinate medical appointments and access all of the resources the center offers, like yoga classes, art therapy sessions, weekly and monthly support group gatherings like the October Social Hours hosted each Thursday at different Fuzzy’s Tacos locations. They also provide the experience and sympathy of someone who knows what it’s like to walk the path to cancer recovery.

To truly understand the positive impact the center has on its patients, we asked breast cancer survivor and Patient Navigator Kristi Evans her thoughts on having and being a navigator. “As a breast cancer patient who was navigated through the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center, I know the huge impact navigators have during a very vulnerable and scary time. My navigators provided me with personalized guidance, emotional support, and expert knowledge that helped me focus on healing with confidence while empowering me to make informed decisions. Now, as a Certified Breast Cancer Patient Navigator myself, I am able to use my past experience to continue to provide compassionate advocacy for others dealing with breast cancer. It is my goal that every patient feels cared for and loved throughout their entire journey and beyond into survivorship.”

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

It’s not just the patients and former patients-turned-navigators who understand the unparalleled value the center offers. The doctors and nurses charged with the medical care and treatment of cancer patients praise th center’s offerings. Perhaps Dr. Vaishali Kent puts it best when she says, “The Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center is an invaluable resource to our community. The navigators and counselors go above and beyond to make sure the needs of all their patients are met. The extensive number of services they offer, not just to educate patients but also to support patients are incredible. The staff is always available to help patients, whether they have just been diagnosed or are a 10-year survivor. I truly consider them a partner in the care for our patients.”

The Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth is a godsend for cancer patients. The services and support they provide are exactly what a cancer patient needs when facing a scary diagnosis. The best part is all of these services and resources are provided free of charge regardless of where a patient receives their direct medical care. To learn more about how they can help you or a loved one, please visit www.BSWHealth.com or call 817.922.2223.

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

The post Walking with You as a Partner in Cancer Care first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

With a 63-bed neonatal intensive care unit and extensive pre and post-natal services, the Level IV (the highest designation there is) maternal care center has set the standard for mother and child care before, during, and after delivery. In fact, this year, Andrews Women’s Hospital was voted the best place to have a baby in Tarrant County.

There is a lot that goes into achieving such a high level of success, but it largely boils down to “customer” satisfaction. Anyone who has had a baby knows you don’t just stroll up to the hospital, deliver your baby, and head home. There’s much more to it than that. It’s a time of excitement and anxiety, joy and fear of the unknown. The difference between a good experience and a bad one is often in the details attended to by the facility where you deliver. And one of the biggest details that can make all the difference is in education and outreach.

Photo courtesy of BS&W

A hospital that places a huge importance on educating new mothers, fathers, grandparents and other caretakers has an advantage over those that don’t. This is one of the many areas in which Andrews Women’s Hospital excels, not only beyond other facilities, but beyond their own patients’ expectations. With a comprehensive curriculum of online and in-person classes, Andrews Women’s Hospital has set the bar very high indeed when it comes to educating their patients and patients’ families.

They realize through education much of the mystery of having and nurturing a baby can be alleviated, thus rendering their patients more confident as they begin the experience of childbirth and parenthood. As Program Director and Community Care Coordinator, Catherine Smith says, “We want new mothers and fathers to be excited about and feel comfortable with the process of having a new baby, and we find we are better able to achieve those goals by offering them powerful maternity tools and pre-natal education classes, as well as offerings after the baby arrives.”

Photo courtesy of BS&W

To that end, classes offered include childbirth, breastfeeding, infant CPR, newborn care, natural childbirth, Cesarean birth, car seat education and many, many more. There are specific classes for fathers, grandparents, and even older siblings to learn about their new brother or sister, and new classes are being added to the catalog regularly. Once your in-patient experience is over, Andrews Women’s Hospital ensures that you’re not being discharged without a lifeline. They provide a weekly breastfeeding support group, a private Facebook group called “Rockin’ Mommas”, and within their app they have follow-up navigation to make sure you’re healing mentally and physically after welcoming our new bundle. Once your baby grows up, on-site childcare and swim lessons are available.

People have a natural fear of the unknown. It is through education and experience we come to understand that which we do not know and thereby remove the fear of it. Few things in life are as unknown to new parents as having a new baby. Andrews Women’s Hospital’s educational programs alleviate the natural anxiety all new parents feel by educating them and giving them the tools they need to confidently and successfully have and raise a newborn child.

Photo courtesy of BS&W

Safety and clinical expertise are always the primary focus at Andrews Women’s Hospital, but making sure you feel supported and secure in a relaxing atmosphere with numerous amenities is just as important. With an onsite Starbucks® with extended hours for late night coffee runs, to recently renovated rooms based on community feedback that feature soft lighting, additional family space, and opportunities for low impact birth solutions for those that qualify, Andrews Women’s Hospital strives to make the entire childbirth process as comfortable as possible. You can customize your entire experience with the food you choose, the optional upgrade package, and a birth plan personalized to fit your ideal birth experience.

You can find more information about the facility and available classes by visiting the Andrews Women’s Hospital Labor and Delivery page or by downloading the BSW Health app at my.bswhealth.com.

The post Alleviating the Anxiety with Care first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Women’s heart health needs are unique. That’s why Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waxahatchie is looking at heart and vascular health through a different lens – focusing on the hidden, and not so hidden, signs of heart disease in women. Learn what impacts your heart and the hearts of your loved ones in this interactive chat with panels of expert female physicians on Thursday, February 8, at 6 pm. Grab your girls, get comfy, and take time to have a heart-to-heart.

Panelists

Pratima Bakshi, MD – internal medicine specialist
Courtney Campbell, MD, PhD – cardio-oncology specialist
Srujana Chakilam, MD – cardiologist
Katharina Fetten, MD – cardiothoracic surgeon
Shelley Hall, MD – advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist
Anita Krueger, MD – cardiothoracic surgeon
Jessica Meyer, MD – cardiologist
Jessica Shepherd, MD – gynecologist/women’s wellness specialist

Moderator

Nancy Vish, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, President and Chief Nursing Officer Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas, Fort Worth and Waxahachie

Register

To register for this free event, follow this link!

The post Show Your Heart Some Love and Register Now! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The JKCRC offers support, care, and guidance to anyone in the community, regardless of where they are receiving care. “We are a center without walls,” said Lisa Kirby, RN.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Kirby

An oncology nurse since 2003, Kirby is a nurse cancer patient navigator at the JKCRC. But what is a cancer patient navigator?

According to the National Cancer Institute, a cancer patient navigator is “an individual trained to help identify and resolve real and perceived barriers to care, enabling patients to adhere to care recommendations and thus improve their cancer outcomes.” The navigators at the JKCRC walk with a patient from the initial diagnosis through all phases of treatment and beyond. They help with everything from helping facilitate communication between a patient and their healthcare team to working with employers to helping a patient access resources in the community.

“We have two lay navigators and four nurse navigators [two breast cancer navigators and two AYA/Head and Neck] on staff,” Kirby said. “The lay navigators are survivors who can offer emotional support throughout all phases of treatment.” The nurse navigators take care of the medical side, educating, answering questions, using their contacts in the nursing community to make sure the patient is supported.

“Basically, we’re a bridge between the patient and the healthcare system,” Kirby explained.

Photo courtesy of BSW All Saints

The three most common cancers in Tarrant County are breast, colon, and prostate cancer. With early detection and the proper treatment, they are all highly treatable. Kirby says a lot of people are delaying screening such as mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as simply routine checkups, because of concerns about COVID-19. However, with the Safe Care campaign at All Saints that includes temperature checks for anyone who enters the building, increased cleaning, limiting the number of people in the building, and staff and patient monitoring, Kirby said she actually feels safest at work. “People are very mindful of being safe here.”

I asked Kirby what we can look out for in ourselves and our family to help with early detection. “Each kind of cancer has a different presentation,” Kirby said. “But more than anything, I would say know your body. Pay attention to any kind of changes. If there’s anything different from your body’s norm that’s ongoing, get in touch with your physician.”

In response to COVID-19, the JKCRC offers that are free to the public. They offer free screenings and HPV vaccination clinics, as well. Virtual support groups are in the works, too. “We were in the midst of working on our support groups when COVID hit,” said Kirby. “We’re moving them to virtual now.”

Photo courtesy of BSW All Saints

For cancer survivors, the JKCRC offers wellness and exercise programs. “The yoga class here has really become a community,” Kirby said. “They really support each other, not just about their cancer, but in all aspects of their lives.”

I asked Kirby what a person can do when a loved one has received a cancer diagnosis. “The best thing you can do is listen. Offer kindness, offer to help with everyday tasks, but really just listen.”

When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, we want to help, but most of us don’t know what resources are available. This is the beauty of the JKCRC’s navigator program. The nurse navigators offer medical guidance, while the lay navigators “are a beacon of hope… they are an example of those who have come through treatment and survived.” Together, they walk with the patient throughout their cancer journey.

For more information about the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White, visit the website or call 817-922-2223.

The post A Beacon of Hope: The Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints stands ready to answer your questions and walk with you through your pregnancy. Whether you want a natural childbirth with a doula or an epidural with an OB/GYN, Andrews Women’s Hospital is the place to deliver!

I talked with Dr. Kathleen Cammack, an OB/GYN on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White, about what you can expect from your experience at Andrews Women’s Hospital.

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Cammack

When preparing for pregnancy, Dr. Cammack offers these hints. Do your research! Choosing a physician and a hospital are the first steps in making sure your delivery goes as smoothly as possible. Some good questions to ask are:

• Do you care about your physician’s gender?
• Do you know who is in a call group with them in case you go into labor when your physician is off?
• Is the office and the hospital near your home?
• Is your physician in-network for your insurance?

Choosing a hospital used to involve a tour of the birthing center. To ensure your safety, you can now tour Andrews Women’s Hospital virtually, as well as taking online birthing classes.

I asked Dr. Cammack to address some of the misconceptions surrounding hospital births. She replied, “As an obstetrician, I will always recommend a hospital birth. The biggest reason to deliver in a hospital is to be prepared for the unknown and to keep you and your baby safe.” She went on to say that while her main goal is making sure the mother and child are safe, she wants to make sure that the mother’s birth plan is respected and that the birth of her child is one of the best days of her life.

“Birth plan?” I hear you ask. “What’s a birth plan?” Simply put, a birth plan is a list of things that the mother would like to have respected during delivery. It can be long and involved or short and sweet. If you have a birth plan, Dr. Cammack recommends talking through it with your physician so that you can tailor it to your desires, while making sure that you and your baby are safe.

There is a misconception that a hospital birth will automatically end in a cesarian section. Dr. Cammack assured me that is not the case. “There are times that intervention is necessary to keep babies and moms safe,” she said, but she stressed that she has never done a cesarian section when it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

When asked about having a “natural” birth, Dr. Cammack replied, “Unmedicated births are welcome… We have wireless monitoring so the mom doesn’t feel tied to the bed, and if the baby looks good, intermittent monitoring can also be done. Doulas… are typically welcome, though with COVID, this… is limited at this time.”

If necessary, Baylor Scott & White All Saints has a top notch neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While the myth is that children’s hospitals’ NICUs are the best, that simply isn’t true. Dr. Cammack has nothing but praise for the NICU. “Our NICU at Baylor is fabulous. The providers, nurses, and level of care that they deliver to these babies are all top notch… Baylor balances both of their patients – the mom and the baby – in a way that supports both of their needs best.”

Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

Having a baby during the coronavirus pandemic is not the same as it once was. Keep in mind that regulations are constantly changing, so your physician’s office and hospital requirements must change, as well. While you might not be able to have your family with you for every visit, but most physicians are happy to allow you to FaceTime or conference call so that everyone’s questions can be addressed. In addition, loved ones are typically allowed to come to essential visits, like ultrasound appointments.

In the hospital, COVID regulations have changed labor and delivery a little. Mothers are tested for COVID, either at the time she goes into labor or, if she’s scheduled for an induction or a cesarian section, two days prior to admission. Laboring mothers are allowed to have one guest stay with them throughout their stay. Dr. Cammack sees this as a positive. “… family members and friends come up at all hours to meet and see the new addition, and moms can be left feeling exhausted from delivering and trying to entertain… this time of distancing [can be used] as an opportunity to get to know your baby.” For families and friends, the hospital’s Magnolia Boutique offers “care packages” you can send to a new mother without coming into the hospital.

Yes, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way pregnancy, labor, and delivery are managed, but Baylor Scott & White and its physicians want to make sure you have the safest, most comfortable, most supported experience possible. From prenatal care through labor and delivery to post-natal support, Baylor Scott & White will walk with you and your baby every step of the way!

If you had your baby at Baylor Scott & White All Saints, please share how they made your experience a safe, healthy, and happy one by voting for them in the annual DFW Child Best for Families: Moms and Babies. Click here to vote. Voting continues through October 26!

The post Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Really Delivers first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.