Georgia CORE has been awarded a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and with that, recruited its first HRSA Network Director in Cheryl Kirby. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Cheryl will direct the program designed to achieve health equity for rural cancer patients through navigation, care coordination, and access to clinical trials. She will lead our partners at St. Joseph’s/Candler in Savannah, Wayne Memorial Hospital in Jesup, and Appling Healthcare in Baxley to navigate patients from eight southeast Georgia rural counties to provide access to treatment and clinical trials. Cheryl will also direct the Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia professional network. On the weekends, you’ll find her cheering on her kids’ sports teams, or touring local artist markets and wineries.
Cheryl comes to the team immediately from Northside Hospital Cancer Institute and with 25 years of professional experience as a social worker with clinical care coordination, community partnership development, collaboration, and program management. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work at the University of Georgia. She’s a member of the Georgia Social Work Oncology Group and serves on the Professional Standards Committee and as an adjunct instructor for Saint Leo University’s MSW Program.
Description: Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia (CPNG) is a statewide organization of people who guide individuals and their families through the continuum of cancer care.
Mission: Our mission is to connect, educate and share best practices among patient navigators in Georgia, so that together we can successfully reduce barriers and increase access to services specifically related to cancer
Vision: Patient navigation will play a consistent, defined and sustainable role for all Georgians throughout the cancer continuum to include prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and end of life care.
Goals & Objectives:
- Build a shared sense of purpose
- Attract and sustain membership
- Identify the needs of CPNs and match them with resources
- Foster collaboration
- Share best practices
- Define the value of CPNs in affecting overall outcomes
- Bring clarity/structure to the role of CPNs in Georgia
- Educate target audiences about the significance of CPN
- Establish a statewide registry of cancer navigators
