NONPROFIT EXPANDS PEER SUPPORT RESOURCE FOR WOMEN
Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Survivors’ Helpline increases hours of operation
November 27, 2012; Philadelphia, PA | Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a national nonprofit organization headquartered just outside Philadelphia, PA, announced that it has increased the hours of operation for its toll-free Survivors’ Helpline with calls now being taken live Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m (Eastern Time). Women diagnosed with breast cancer, their family or friends can call the Helpline during these times at (888) 753-LBBC (5222) to speak with a trained LBBC volunteer who is a minimum of one year beyond her own diagnosis or living with metastatic disease.
“It has been our goal to expand this much needed service after learning of the closing of Y-ME. LBBC’s Helpline is now ready to accommodate increased call volume.,” says LBBC’s chief executive officer Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP. “I am so pleased that women and families who have questions and concerns will have live access to the Helpline eight hours a day, five days a week with all other calls answered within 24 hours.”
“In addition to receiving peer support and information in a confidential setting, callers can also be matched to a woman who shares similar experiences like age, stage of diagnosis, treatment type, relationship status and race or ethnicity,” adds Elyse Spatz Caplan, MA, LBBC’s director of programs and partnerships. “Whether a woman is newly diagnosed, in treatment or recovery, years beyond her diagnosis or living with metastatic breast cancer, the Helpline can provide a private, caring and understanding environment and access to additional LBBC resources.”
The Helpline expansion is possible “due to the commitment of our Helpline volunteers,” comments LBBC’s recently named manager of volunteer programs, Lynn Ann Folkman. Folkman, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, also notes that “the Helpline was designed to provide confidential peer emotional support and information to empower women to make informed choices for them personally about their health care.”
However, what differentiates LBBC’s Helpline from similar programs is that it can provide callers with an array of other programs provided by LBBC that can help answer their questions, provide support and prepare them for what comes next in their treatment and recovery. “Volunteers are made aware of all of LBBC’s existing and upcoming resources during initial and ongoing training,” Folkman states, so that “when a call is over, a woman can continue to rely upon LBBC resources to whatever degree she wants.”
Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a four-star rated Charity Navigator nonprofit organization providing educational resources and support services to women of all ages who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. For over twenty years, LBBC has helped improve the quality of life for these women by empowering them with the information they need to make the best and most informed decisions for themselves and their families. National conferences, monthly webinars, regional community meetings, the Guides to Understanding Breast Cancer and a toll-free Survivors’ Helpline are just a few examples of the services that are provided, always at little or no cost.
If someone you know has recently been diagnosed, is in treatment, recovery, years beyond their diagnosis or living with metastatic breast cancer, LBBC can help. For more information, visit lbbc.org, call (610) 645-4567 or download a free copy of Empower, LBBC’s general information brochure.
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