In honor of Patient Experience Week, a time dedicated to recognizing the impact of healthcare staff on patient care, Kelly Hendershot, Vice President of Network and Healthcare Partnerships at Cancer Support Community, offered a powerful perspective shaped by both professional expertise and personal experience. Through her work and lived journey as a caregiver, she highlights the critical role of community, advocacy, and empathy in improving patient-centered care.

For more information about Cancer Support Community, visit https://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/ or call the Cancer Support Helpline at CSC-867-5309.

A Personal Journey That Shaped Professional Purpose

Ms. Hendershot’s passion for patient-centered care is deeply rooted in her own experience navigating her late husband’s cancer diagnosis. “We were kind of thrown fast and furious into needing to use the patient voice,” she shares. This experience underscored the importance of advocacy and communication in healthcare, inspiring her continued efforts to “amplify both the patient and the caregiver voice and their experience.”

Her dual perspective as a licensed social worker and caregiver brings authenticity and urgency to her work, reinforcing the idea that patients and caregivers are not passive participants but essential voices in care delivery.

Building Community Through Comprehensive Support

At Cancer Support Community, Ms. Hendershot helps lead a wide network of over 200 global locations, including CSC and Gilda's Club centers as well as healthcare partnerships, offering five core services: support, education, healthy lifestyle, resource referral, and social activities. Central to these offerings is the belief that “it’s the person in the group—the patient or their caregiver—who is the expert in what’s happening to them.” Support groups, facilitated by licensed mental health professionals, provide safe spaces for emotional processing and shared understanding. Importantly, participation is flexible: “You don’t have to go to every activity. You kind of choose your own adventure.”

Educational programs extend beyond clinical knowledge to include advocacy skills, helping individuals communicate effectively with both healthcare teams and family members. Meanwhile, healthy lifestyle activities, from yoga to walking groups, address mental and emotional well-being, especially during challenging periods like bereavement.

The Power of Community in Patient Outcomes

Community support plays a transformative role in patient experiences. As Ms. Hendershot explains, “It helps patients find their own voice and arms them with the tools that they need to go to their healthcare team and make better, more informed decisions.”

Beyond emotional benefits, these connections can lead to tangible improvements in care. Patients engaged in supportive communities are more likely to adhere to treatment plans and less likely to rely on emergency services unnecessarily. “By alleviating some of the distress and anxiety, they’re more focused on the treatment that they need,” she notes.

Even for those with strong personal support systems, there is unique value in shared experience: “It’s quite different and powerful being in a room full of people impacted by a diagnosis like you are.” This sense of belonging reduces isolation and enhances overall quality of life.

Small Actions, Big Impact

For healthcare providers, Ms. Hendershot emphasizes that meaningful change often begins with small, intentional actions. “Even paying attention to your mannerisms, smiling, asking somebody their name, trying to find a small way to connect” can significantly ease a patient’s fear,

She also encourages providers to look beyond clinical symptoms: “We can always talk more about what the side effects are preventing us from doing.” Understanding a patient’s quality-of-life priorities helps personalize care and demonstrates genuine compassion.

Supporting Providers to Support Patients

At the institutional level, fostering patient-centered care requires systemic support. Ms. Hendershot advocates for integrating quality-of-life discussions into routine care and ensuring follow-up on distress screenings. Tools like patient registries can further elevate the patient voice by capturing real-world experiences over time.

Celebrating Patient Experience Week

In her closing message for Patient Experience Week, Ms. Hendershot offers a message of gratitude and a vital reminder for those on the front lines of care. She encourages clinicians to maintain their dedication while emphasizing that their own well-being is the foundation of excellent patient care: "Keep doing what you're doing. If you are listening to this, you are already showing that you care about your patients.”

She also pivots to a crucial point regarding the sustainability of that care: "An important step in caring about your patients is caring about yourselves too. We all know that healthcare professionals are at risk for burnout. Take some time to yourself, whatever that looks like for you, because that will help you be more available and present with your patients, and they'll notice a difference too." The patient experience is inextricably linked to the provider experience, and celebrating one requires supporting the other.

Key Takeaways

Patient and caregiver voices are essential and should be actively amplified in care decisions.
Community-based support improves emotional well-being, treatment adherence, and overall outcomes.
Small, human connections in clinical settings can significantly enhance patient experiences.
Understanding quality-of-life priorities is as important as managing clinical symptoms.
Supporting healthcare staff well-being is critical to sustaining high-quality patient care.

About Ms. Hendershot

Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW, is the Vice President of Network and Healthcare Partnerships at Cancer Support Community. In this role, she serves as the lead liaison for patient and family programming across the growing network. Her commitment to cancer support began as a personal need during her husband’s cancer diagnosis and death and has grown into a lifelong dedication to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone, guided by the belief that community is stronger than cancer.

Patient Experience Week: How Small Moments Make a Big Impact