Dignity Health Merced | helloHealthy | Summer 2018

4 DignityHealth.org/Merced | Summer 2018 B rittany Cotta, MSW, an oncology social worker at the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center, wants cancer patients and their caregivers to think of her as their cheerleader. Whatever their difficulty is, she will try to solve it for them—or find someone who can. Transportation? She has a list of resources. Confusing forms to fill out? She’s a pro. A listening ear? She has two of them. “I think patients don’t really have a clear idea of what social work in the medical field is all about,” says Cotta. “Patients can come to me with any problem that isn’t medical, that their doctors or nurses can’t help with, and I can find help for them pretty much right away.” The resources may be within the hospital or outside in the community. Wherever they are, Cotta will track them down. A difficult diagnosis Doctors frequently refer their patients to Cotta. “A cancer diagnosis is often difficult to cope with,” she says. “So maybe the doctor thinks the patient has some emotional concerns. Or it might be something more concrete, like not knowing how they’re going to afford their copays.” Cotta does a lot of what she calls “active listening.” She provides some counseling. She also runs a cancer support group once a month—not just for patients, but for their caregivers too. “Even though the caregiver doesn’t have the diagnosis, they’re going through almost as much as the patient,” Cotta says. Why are these kinds of services and support important to people with cancer? “People need to understand that it isn’t doing them any good when they’re stressing By your side You’re not alone in your cancer journey, thanks to our oncology social worker “ “I think patients don’t really have a clear idea of what social work in the medical field is all about. Patients can come to me with any problem that isn’t medical, that their doctors or nurses can’t help with, and I can find help for them pretty much right away.” —Brittany Cotta, MSW