Ashli Morales, RN joins multidisciplinary cancer support team
Woman’s Hospital welcomes Ashli Morales, RN as its third cancer nurse navigator, dedicated to assisting patients with the overwhelming expectations and decisions women face during their entire cancer journey from diagnosis through survivorship. Nurse navigators offer individualized assistance to patients, families and caregivers to help facilitate informed decisions and ensure that patients have timely access to information about their care.
Woman’s nurse navigators had more than 6,500 patient encounters in the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion’s first year.
“Cancer treatment has changed exponentially over the years, which means that treatment options and decisions have become much more complex as well,” said Cynthia Rabalais, executive director of the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, a partnership with Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. “Research shows that nurse navigators help patients with cancer to feel more supported, informed and prepared for what can be a long and difficult journey.”
Woman’s is a leader in providing multidisciplinary support to cancer patients. When a woman receives her treatment at the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, she has access to a team of support services that includes a specialized nurse navigator, social worker and dietitian who all work together to address the full scope issues she may face. These individuals become an integral part of a patient’s journey through cancer and often beyond.
Assistance from nurse navigators can include helping to schedule appointments, referrals for financial assistance, arranging transportation for patients and their families, connecting patients to support groups and serving as an extension for the physicians by assisting the patients with questions and resources concerning medications, treatment, side effects, etc.
Morales, who will serve as a breast cancer nurse navigator, is a Registered Nurse with 10 years of clinical experience including time spent in the intensive care unit and outpatient cath lab. She also has worked in patient education and pre- and post-operative care. Other members of the multidisciplinary cancer support team include:
- Ashley Marks, BSN, RN, OCN, ONN-GE - GYN Certified Cancer Nurse Navigator
- Robin Maggio, LCSW - Oncology Social Worker
- Robin Strate, RD - Oncology Dietitian
For more information on our support team or how to contact our cancer nurse navigators, visit womans.org/cancersupport.
(L-R): Ashli Morales, RN; Robin Maggio, LCSW; Robin Strate, RD; Hannah Arnold, RN; Ashley Marks, RN