Pillar 4 - Equipment Supporting Patients Every Step of the Way During the 2024–25 financial year, Nicole supported 313 individual patients, with more than 1,300 points of contact at the Centre. Over 350 patients have gone through the Enhanced Supportive Care program since its introduction in May 2021. For many, she is more than a coordinator, Nicole is a lifeline. One grateful patient reflected “I don’t know how I would have managed on my own. Having someone sit with me in appointments, explain things in plain language, and help with all the forms made an enormous difference. It felt like someone was finally in my corner.” None of this would be possible without the generosity of the local community. The Trust Fund continues to fund 50% of Nicole’s role, ensuring that every patient, no matter their circumstances, has someone to walk alongside them during one of the hardest chapters of their life. Nicole’s story is a reminder that community support is not just about dollars and cents, it is about compassion, connection, and making sure no one faces cancer alone. For Cancer Care Coordinator Nicole Webb, learning has never just been about textbooks or degrees, it has always been about one thing: making life a little easier for patients facing cancer. In 2019, Nicole was awarded a Trust Funded $18,000 scholarship to undertake the Master of Cancer Sciences through the University of Melbourne. The scholarship not only advanced her skills but also reinforced her commitment to ensuring that patients in our region receive the highest standard of care, close to home. After completing her Master’s, Nicole worked for a year as a project manager in a community-funded project (by HRICS) that explored how to better understand older patients’ needs, capabilities, and support systems The outcome of this project was the introduction of the Enhanced Supportive Care program at the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre The program involves providing indepth assessments so that patients are not judged on their age but on the results of these assessments. This enables the provision of appropriate treatment and supportive care. A part of this assessment involves asking about hearing loss. Nicole noticed that often patients came without their hearing aids making the assessment more challenging and resulting in the patients having difficulty with the information they were receiving. Other times having their hearing tested was on a list of things to do. After consulting with the Cancer Centre’s speech pathologist, she approached the Trust Fund with a request for specialist equipment that could make a difference. Thanks to the generosity of the Lodge Belvoir 727 Social Committee, the Trust Fund purchased four Personal Hearing Amplifiers. One amplifier now supports the Supportive Care Team, including the McGrath, Melanoma, Prostate, and Cancer Care Coordinators, while the remaining devices are used at Border Medical Oncology, Ramsay Health Day Oncology, and Genesis Care. These amplifiers ensure that wherever patients are within the Centre, hearing loss will not prevent them from being part of the conversation. Patients can now hear instructions clearly, ask questions with confidence, and feel reassured that their voices are heard throughout their treatment journey. Nicole’s dedication goes far beyond equipment and programs. Her role as a Cancer Care Coordinator is deeply personal, offering patients the kind of practical and emotional support that can make an overwhelming diagnosis feel just a little more manageable. • MAKING LIFE A LITTLE EASIER: Nicole Webb demonstrating the use of the new Personal Hearing Amplifiers that will be used across the Cancer Centre.
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