Someone in Your Corner: The Role of a Cancer Care Nurse Navigator
Questions come quickly when you receive a cancer diagnosis.
Who do I call first?
What happens next?
How do I manage all of this alongside the rest of life?
At the Maurer Family Cancer Care at Wood County Hospital, the nurse navigator is dedicated to answering those questions and staying by your side throughout your care journey.
Sara Hackler, LPN, currently serves in that role. Her approach goes far beyond scheduling. She acts as a personal guide, advocate and steady presence for patients from the very first call through long after the final follow-up.
What Does a Nurse Navigator Do?
The role of nurse navigator is deeply personal. It’s part case coordinator, part patient advocate and part trusted resource.
When a new patient enters the cancer center, Sara’s first priority isn’t paperwork. It’s understanding who that person is.
“What’s their life outside of cancer like? Do they still work? Do they take care of parents? Do they have kids? Because cancer does not define the patient — that’s the last thing we want for that patient to feel.”
— Sara Hackler, LPN, Cancer Care Nurse Navigator
From there, Sara coordinates the clinical tasks, including ensuring that imaging is completed before specialist appointments. She makes sure that referrals happen in the right sequence and no step is delayed because of a communication gap.
She also helps patients manage the personal side of treatment. Sara makes sure they understand what support is available, what to expect emotionally and practically and who to call when something comes up between appointments.
“We always make sure they know which numbers they can call for help. They can call my number anytime if they need to.”
— Sara Hackler
Staying Connected Throughout Treatment
Daily radiation treatments can last for several weeks. During that time, patients come in and build relationships with their care team. That consistent presence is part of what makes patients feel supported during one of the hardest periods of their lives.
But what happens when treatment ends? That transition can feel abrupt. Patients who are seen daily can suddenly find themselves feeling left without that safety net.
“They’re used to coming in every day, and everybody has eyes on them. And they lose that when treatments are done. So, we’ll have patients who just pop by the window and say, ‘Hey, could I just talk to you for a minute?’ Because they just get that sense of community.”
— Sara Hackler
Sara’s job doesn’t end when the last treatment is over. She continues to follow patients as their care evolves, whether they stay local or need to travel for a specific procedure. Unlike navigators at bigger centers who may hand off a patient once they transfer care elsewhere, Sara maintains that connection regardless of where treatment occurs.
“If a patient needs surgery at a different location and then comes back here for radiation or chemo, I’m still with them,” she explains. “At a bigger center, that navigator often drops them the moment they leave. That’s a gap we intentionally fill."
A Small Team with a Big Impact on How Care Feels
One of the things patients consistently say about the cancer center is that it feels like family. And that’s not by accident.
It’s a deliberate part of how the Cancer Care Center team is built and how they work.
Because the care team is smaller and works with a focused patient population, staff get to know patients on a personal level. Nurses ask about their grandchildren. Front desk staff recognize voices on the phone. Dr. Parikh sees patients weekly throughout their radiation course, not just at intake.
“Cancer sucks enough as it is. And when you come into a place that’s stuffy and nobody’s any fun and everybody’s just cancer, cancer, cancer, it makes it even worse. We try to make sure patients feel like they’re part of a family,” Sara said.
Dr. Parikh echoed her philosophy: "We practice medicine here in a very compassionate manner. It’s just being a good person. The nurses, the front staff, the therapists — everyone takes those extra steps because they know it’s a hard thing for the patient to go through."
Is a Nurse Navigator Right for You?
Navigation services are available to patients who received abnormal test results or a cancer diagnosis. You don’t need to wait until a full treatment plan is in place to reach out. In fact, connecting early is one of the best things you can do.
Sara can help you understand your next steps, know which appointments to prioritize, connect you with support resources and ensure you always have someone to call.
“When a patient comes back two or three years after treatment and tells you, ‘The only reason I come back is because I know you’re here,’ they don’t care anymore about what the cancer was. They just want to come back to where they felt safe, where they felt cared for, where their success started.”
— Sara Hackler, LPN, Cancer Care Nurse Navigator
Nurse navigation includes:
· Coordination of specialist appointments, imaging and diagnostic tests
· Guidance on treatment sequencing and what to expect at each stage
· Connection to support services including nutrition counseling, social work and therapy
· Ongoing follow-up throughout and after active treatment
· Continued support if care extends to other facilities
Connect with Our Cancer Care Team
If you or someone you love is navigating a cancer diagnosis, you don’t have to figure out the next step alone. Reach out to the team at Wood County Hospital to learn how our Nurse Navigator can support you.
Visit woodcountyhospital.org or call (419) 354-3185 to get started.