With You Every Step of the Way
Beyond your immediate circle of care, as a transplant patient, your extended transplant team includes:
- Clinical social worker
- Dietitian
- Pharmacist
- Diabetes educator
- Financial coordinators
- Patient care coordinator
- Access to an occupational therapist, physical therapist and speech therapist as needed
Your clinical social worker provides you and your family supportive counseling. To prepare you for the transplant transition, they conduct a psychosocial evaluation at your initial meeting, educate you about the transplant process and make referrals to other support services. Above all, they’re there to support you for the life of the transplant.
Your patient care coordinator helps before and after surgery to provide continuity of care and assist in scheduling and coordinating with the nurse coordinators.
The transplant financial coordinator works with the clinical care team to ensure you have appropriate insurance coverage, to optimize your benefits and to have approvals and counseling. This lets you and your family focus on your health.
You also have access to various transplant support groups throughout the community and Internet, including a weekly diabetic support group, and a monthly women’s support group. Transplant candidates and patients also can participate in annual retreats and a patient-education symposium.
Support Groups
- Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients
- Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO)
An educational support group for transplant recipients and their families
2nd Thursday of each month, 7:30- 9:30
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA
Linda Smith- 408 353 2169 - Solid Organ Transplant Caregiver Support Group
A support group for caregivers of transplant patients
2nd Monday of each month, 5:30- 7:00
Stanford Hospital Cancer Center, CC2104
Evonne David, LCSW- 650 723 5581
Tonia Gregory, MSW- 650 723 4440 - Transplant Living, United Network for Organ Sharing
- Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO)
- The Western Pacific Renal Network
- National Kidney Foundation- Northern California