Press Play: CancerCare

In this edition of Press Play, we interviewed William Goeren, MSW, OSW-C, and Director of Clinical Programs at CancerCare. They are the leading national organization providing free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical and financial challenges of cancer. They are located in Manhattan and you can watch their videos on nyxt.nyc/cancercare.

NYXT: How did you start working with CancerCare?

WILLIAM: I became a social worker in response to the AIDS epidemic in the mid-80s. I had arrived in New York to pursue another career path but my world changed as I observed and experienced the personal, social, national and, eventually, global devastation caused by HIV/AIDS. Completing graduate school in the late 80s, I had the opportunity to expand my clinical skills in many areas associated with AIDS, including acute and chronic illness, mental health, substance use and abuse, co-morbidities, individual, couple and familial issues, palliative care, end of life and death and dying. Becoming a social worker at that time allowed me to study with some of the most influential and important figures of the times, such as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD, Cathy Fanslow, RN, and Walt Odets, PhD. I worked in a number of institutions devoted to the AIDS crisis, both inpatient and outpatient in hospitals as well as for not-for-profit agencies. The opportunities and experiences in different clinical settings provided me with essential and additional education on organizational management structures, policy and systems, as well as supervision and educational imperatives. It was as a result of my years as a social worker that I learned of many of the other impactful and essential agencies in New York City, including CancerCare. I learned, through client referrals and professional recommendations of CancerCare’s extraordinary history and mission, the services provided, and the access to support for the person with the cancer, the cancer caregiver and the bereaved, both local to the NYC tristate area and nationally.  

NYXT: How do your personal goals and passions merge with CancerCare’s vision?

WILLIAM: My personal goals shifted at the beginning, and as a result, of the AIDS epidemic. I learned that my priorities and goals in life had been unconditionally altered and that service to others became my life’s choice and work. CancerCare was founded in 1944 to provide service to those affected by cancer. The vision was, and still is, to be a place where clients could find emotional and concrete levels of support, counseling, education, referrals and resources. Working at CancerCare and being a member of a talented and respected oncology social work department, providing the array of impactful and comprehensive services, is absolutely aligned with my ideals of what my life’s work is, who I am and how I understand the meaning and purpose of my life. To be of service to others is a choice and to work in social work oncology is yet another level of choice. All who work at CancerCare have made an intentional decision to be a part of this unique and extraordinary agency.

NYXT: What were CancerCare’s challenges during 2018?

WILLIAM: Every staff member of CanceCare adds to, and is a part of, the heart and soul of CancerCare. With that said, CancerCare is always challenged with meeting the needs of an ever shifting and changing oncology world. With medical advances in diagnosis and treatment, with great specificity and specializations in medicine as well as the constant fluctuation of local and national economics, CancerCare strives to constantly determine the needs of clients affected by cancer and refining, creating and recreating better and quality access to our services. And with those determinations, the objective is, and always will be, to maintain our personal connection to clients and retain the very heart and soul of our mission.   

NYXT: What is next for CancerCare and how can people get involved?

WILLIAM: While CancerCare maintains its core services, the discussion of how to address the many needs of the person affected by cancer is a constant. And, as CancerCare evolves and grows, the agency is always searching for innovative ideas and those volunteers who will participate in actualizing those ideas. For those who decide to participate in the CancerCare mission, or for those who may need to access its services, all it takes is a phone call to our national Hopeline, 800-813-4673.