community focus and volunteerism

New Metro Detroit office provides patient resource room
When the relocation of the Metro Detroit Area Service Center to a new building was announced in January 2007, plans were already in place to provide community resources in a new way.

"When we decided we needed to move it was almost an automatic decision that we needed to have a patient resource room," said Liz Yockey, Community Program Manager at Metro Detroit. "It's something that we can offer to our community that we never were able to before."

The patient resource room is equipped with a variety of resources for newly diagnosed patients and their families, including a phone and a computer with internet access. These resources will allow people to access information by calling the American Cancer Society toll-free at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visiting online at www.cancer.org. Most ACS publications are also available to reference or to take home and Community Program Coordinators are available to help people find information on a specific topic. In addition, a small conference room is attached to the resource room to allow a family or small group to sit down and talk privately with a staff person.

The resource room is dedicated in honor of Violet Ramsey, a former ACS staff member who passed away from breast cancer about a year ago. Violet was introduced to ACS as a Reach to Recovery volunteer and later became a Community Representative. As Community Representative, she was responsible for outreach and mission delivery with the underserved and uninsured population in Detroit.

"She worked with great passion and dedication and always had a hopeful, compassionate message to share and a bright smile on her face," said Jennifer Nagy, Area Executive Director at Metro Detroit. "Because of these traits and the work she accomplished during her short time at ACS, we thought it fitting to honor her memory in the resource room."

Along with the resource and conference centers, the new Metro Detroit office, located at 20450 Civic Center Drive in Southfield, also includes volunteer areas and employee workspace. The building serves as a hub for community outreach in the Great Lakes Division’s most populated area.

"The new Metro Detroit Area Service Center will ensure effective mission delivery to the more than 20,000 metro Detroiters who face a cancer diagnosis every year," said Jill Elder, Executive Director at Metro Detroit. "It will provide a healthy, productive work environment for staff and volunteers, increase functionality and efficiency, and strengthen the organization’s infrastructure and overall financial health."

Visitors do not need to call ahead to use the patient resource room, which is open during the building’s regular hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"More than anything, it’s available for the community to use and to enjoy," said Liz. "We have tried to make everything accessible through this room to make sure that everyone has equal access to the resources and programs that we offer."

To find out more about the patient resource room and what it offers, call the Metro Detroit Area Service Center at (248) 663-3400.

Pictured: Woman using computer in new resource room (top right); Collection of resources available for patients (bottom right)