Dilley explains role as patient navigator

By BRIAN HEMMINGER

City editor

Wyandot Memorial Hospital patient navigator Debbie Dilley shared the details of her job Monday at the Like-Minded Women meeting in the H.U.B. community center in Upper Sandusky.

Dilley said the patient navigator position was created in 2013 and she was told by family members that she’d be a great fit for it due to her previous work at home with a family member’s cancer diagnosis. 

The goal of a patient navigator is to eliminate all barriers to care, which include things like financial, communication, medical system, psychological and transportation barriers.

Dilley said she gets referrals from not only the hospital and other doctors in the area, but from Open Door Resource Center and Job and Family Services. 

She works with variety of patients who have barriers to their care, not just cancer and chronic disease patients.

Through her job, she has helped arrange transportation for patients with Wyandot Rides and the Wyandot County Council on Aging, has assisted patients with sign language and Spanish or other foreign language interpreters and she said a large portion of her job is filling out medical forms for insurance, Medicaid and Medicare.

Dilley is always looking for programs to help patients.

“It’s like a puzzle,” she said. “How are we gonna figure this out?”

Dilley works with local charities and for patients with high-cost medication, she said she is constantly looking for grants for patients to give them relief on bills. Dilley said 80% of the patients she works with have grant in place so they can focus on getting better instead of paying bills. 

Wyandot Memorial Hospital patients received $858,000 in assistance in 2021 and over $1 million in assistance in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic affected appointments and care. 

One of Dilley’s biggest partners locally is the nonprofit No One Fights Alone, which is based out of Sycamore. No One Fights Alone assists local cancer patients with gift bags that include T-shirts, gift cards and gas cards to help reduce barriers to nutrition and medical appointments. 

Dilley said Wyandot Memorial Hospital is a local leader in oncology and infusion services. Medical oncologist Dr. Tejas Lodhawala, who recently switched to full-time at WMH, helps treat colon, lung, breast, pancreatic and renal cell cancer as well as lymphoma and leukemia. The infusion services also assist patients with blood disorders.

“Our main goals are the three Cs,” Dilley said. “Compassion, collaboration and communication.”

WMH features private treatment rooms and infusion services offered include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hydration and Remicade.

Other multi-disciplinary approaches to treatment include spiritual care, consultations with a dietitian, physical and occupational therapy, free wigs or hats, and support and education from the HOPE Group, which meets regularly to support cancer patients. 

The hospital holds an annual survivorship event for Dr. Lodhawala’s patients, which originally was held at the Masters’ Building at the Wyandot County Fairgrounds, but recently switched to drive-thru due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dilley said the event is well-attended and a bell is set up at the hospital to be rung by all patients who are done with their treatment.

Dilley closed by reminding attendees of the importance of preventative medicine. She asked all attendees to perform cancer screenings like mammograms, colonoscopies, CT lung screenings, blood tests, PAP tests and others. 

“It’s never too early to talk to your doctor about these tests,” Dilley said. 

Like-Minded Women meet at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month. The guest speaker April 25 will be Jo Ellen Simonsen, who is the Region 5 representative with Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigation. She plans to present on Ohio’s new program designed to assist children, caregivers and families statewide.