Providence Community Health Centers is now home to an innovative clinic for adult cancer survivors who have concluded their oncology treatment and are transitioning back to primary care. The Multidisciplinary Oncology Survivorship Treatment (MOST) clinic is designed to help survivors address the many questions that can accompany a person’s cancer journey: Will my cancer return? Will it spread? Who can I talk to about my concerns now that my cancer has been treated?

The clinic is led by Dr. Nelly Burdette, Associate Vice President, Integrated Behavioral Health for PCHC, and Dr. N. Joseph Espat, Chairman of Surgery, Chief of Surgical Oncology, and Director of the Cancer Center at Roger Williams Medical Center. The clinic is only for patients of Providence Community Health Centers.

“Oncology survivorship is a complex mind-body event that requires close collaboration between the patient, primary care providers, and specialists in order to care for the whole patient,” said Dr. Espat. “The mission of the MOST clinic is to provide the framework for this multidisciplinary interaction to occur efficiently for the population of patients we serve.”

According to Dr. Burdette, the clinic was created because of concerns voiced by patients. “We heard from survivors who felt a disconnect once their cancer treatment ended,” she said. “One of our goals is to act as a bridge between primary care and oncology to give patients peace of mind and a resource to address their concerns.”

The MOST Clinic is located at Providence Community Health Center’s Specialty Clinic, One Randall Square, Suite 308, in Providence. It is open every other Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to Noon. Patients are seen on a referral basis and may be referred by their Primary Care Provider.

YouTube Video: Innovative clinic for cancer survivors featured on WJAR TV 10 news

The video transition from active oncological treatment to everyday life is a critical yet often overlooked phase in a patient’s journey. The MOST Clinic (Multidisciplinary Oncology Survivorship Treatment), operating within the Providence Community Health Centers, was established specifically to address the needs of cancer survivors in underserved populations within a primary care setting.

Addressing the Post-Treatment Gap

When a patient undergoes cancer treatment, they are supported by a highly structured medical environment. However, once the treatment concludes, many individuals feel a sudden loss of this support system. Dr. Joseph Espat, Director of the Cancer Center at Roger Williams Medical Center, emphasizes that patients are often “congratulated and told to live their lives” without a clear roadmap for what comes next. The MOST Clinic fills this void by providing continued guidance and surveillance.

Psychological and Physical Support

Survival often comes with significant emotional challenges. For patients like Marilyn Trinidad, who survived early-stage gastric cancer, the fear of recurrence—the constant worry that every ache or pain might signal the cancer’s return—is a heavy burden. The clinic’s multidisciplinary approach focuses on:

• Psychological Well-being: Clinical psychologists like Dr. Nelly Burdette work directly with patients to manage anxiety and depression, which are frequently elevated post-diagnosis.

• Education and Surveillance: Oncologists educate survivors on the importance of ongoing monitoring, providing reassurance about their current health status.

• Reducing Emergency Room Reliance: One of the clinic’s primary goals is to improve quality of life so that patients do not feel the need to visit the emergency room unnecessarily due to fear-driven concerns.

A Model for Future Care

The MOST Clinic is not only a local resource but also a data-driven model. By tracking patient outcomes and their utilization of healthcare services, the clinic aims to demonstrate how specialized survivorship care can positively impact long-term health and reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system.