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EMPLOYEE
SPOTLIGHT
Meet Alana Hargrave, L.C.S.W.
As a young girl growing up in Lafayette,
Alana Hargrave, L.C.S.W., knew two things — one,
that she did not want to be a nurse, and two, that she
wanted to help people.
Alana grew up surrounded by the medical
field. "My
mom is a Nurse Anesthetist, and my sister is an I.C.U. nurse.
I remember the long hours my mom put in, and can still remember
when she was on call. The phone would ring in the middle
of the night, and the next thing you knew, we were at Opelousas
General until the wee hours of the morning," says Hargrave. As
an adult, I am amazed at how my mother managed to maintain
a demanding career and still find time to make my siblings
and I feel loved and special as individuals. I think it was
this nurturing upbringing that led to me to pursue the field
of social work."
"Having spent quite a bit of time around
a hospital, I knew right away that physical trauma was not
the sort of thing that interested me. I have always enjoyed
the healing power ... the therapeutic benefit that came from
helping people in ways that did not involve sutures and bandages.
"Having spent quite a bit of time around a hospital,
I knew right away that physical trauma was not the sort of
thing that interested me. I have always enjoyed the healing
power ... the therapeutic benefit that came from helping
people in ways that did not involve sutures and bandages.
Whether finding a resource for something that was desperately
needed, or listening to and counseling someone through a
difficult season in their life, I recognized that was the
type of healing I was interested in, very early on in my
life," recalls Hargrave.
Alana’s relationship with OncoLogics also began some
time ago. "I was a high school student when I began
working for OncoLogics running errands and performing small
office tasks. Right away, I felt as though I was part of
a family. There was always a great amount of love and compassion
at OncoLogics. When I graduated from Acadiana High School,
I attended UL Lafayette, where I received a Bachelors of
Science in Child/Family Studies. During my undergraduate
college years, I continued to work at OncoLogics," says
Hargrave. "By this time, they were a real part of my
extended family. When it was time to leave for LSU
in order to pursue my Masters in Social Work, I felt a real
loss of that everyday companionship that I developed with
the people of OncoLogics."
"The process of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social
Worker is roughly a ten-year journey, so I was away from
my OncoLogics family for quite some time," recalls Hargrave. "After
completing my Masters, I still needed three years of supervised
counseling, then a year and a half in private practice before
my license was issued. It was during this time I was able
to immerse myself into other healthcare environments, and
hone my skills as a clinician. I also gained some critical
therapeutic and administrative experience, and was able to
view the medical field, outside of the OncoLogics’ world
that had been my only experience up until that point."
"When Dr. DeLand decided to open CentreWomen,
a women's only treatment facility for cancer patients, it
gave both of us the unique opportunity to work together again.
It felt like I was coming home."
"When Dr. DeLand decided to open
CentreWomen, a women's only treatment facility for cancer
patients, it gave both of us the unique opportunity to
work together again. It felt like I was coming home. In
the first weeks back, I found the same individuals who
were working there when I left for LSU, were still working
there. That speaks volumes about the character of a business
and the people who commit their careers to it. It is such
a professional, patient-oriented, loving and compassionate
working environment; there is no comparison that I have
found in my experience. The doctors, nurses, and other
employees have been counseling the patients, for years
prior to my joining OncoLogics, and as any patient can
attest, they have gone above and beyond to help those patients
and their families. This makes my job so much easier. It
allows me to focus on exciting new projects that we believe
will enhance what is already an exemplary treatment practice."
"We have developed a Survivorship Plan, a relatively
new concept, that each new patient will receive upon completion
of treatment. The survivorship plan includes an individuals'
family history with cancer, records of their diagnosis and
treatment, exercise and nutritional plans for their life
post-treatment, a calendar for follow-up visits, a plan for
self examination, a list of symptoms to look for, and a wealth
of educational information, inspirational poems, readings,
etc., along with a Patient Navigation Binder from the Miles
Perret Center to organize it all. It’s an exciting
new concept inspired by the LIVESTRONG project, and we are
adapting it to fit the needs of our Radiation Oncology patients."
"I see every patient before their first treatment,
am available any time during treatment, and follow up with
them 5 days after their last day of treatment."
"I am also now serving our patients in my role as a
licensed therapist. I see every patient before their first
treatment, am available any time during treatment, and follow
up with them 5 days after their last day of treatment. It
is not a very well known fact, but some patients experience
mild depression after being treated for cancer - not from
the treatment itself, but from the loss of attention and
day-to-day contact they had received with their caretakers.
I am here to help the newly cancer free patients readapt
to the life they were leading before their diagnosis," says
Hargrave.
“With all of the changes occurring around OncoLogics,
I am just happy to be part of a team like this - that not
only loves their job, but is always looking for ways to do
it better. We are currently developing many new programs
that will be available for our patients like educational
classes, support groups, and many more. Although the faces
here do not change, the way we treat our patients is constantly
evolving … it is an exciting time to be a part of
OncoLogics.”
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