Supportive Care Clinic

The Supportive Care Clinic at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta helps children who have serious illnesses and their families live well and improves quality of life. Living with a life-threatening medical condition is difficult. Our mission is to help facilitate care that achieves patients’ goals and promotes hope and well-being at all stages of illness.

The Supportive Care Clinic is located in the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center so that patients receive seamless care. We provide initial consultations and follow-up visits in the clinics at Children’s Egleston and Scottish Rite Hospitals. The Supportive Care Clinic includes specialists focused on quality of life and mental health. The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) will also follow your child’s care when he is admitted to the hospital, whether on the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center floor, in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or in the rehabilitation unit at Egleston or Scottish Rite Hospitals.

The Supportive Care Clinic helps patients, families and providers through three core missions:

Clinical care

We work with the hematology/oncology, blood and marrow transplant (BMT) and developmental therapeutics teams to provide medical care to patients while also improving their quality of life. A comprehensive supportive care and psychiatric plan will be developed to treat the physical, psychological and spiritual symptoms related to the patient’s disease and treatment. A patient may receive care from a variety of providers, including specialists in pediatric hematology/oncology, psychiatry, psychology, radiation oncology and pain medicine; PACT; and the family support team.

Education

We educate families, nurses, doctors and medical professionals about decision-making, pain and symptom management, palliative care, hospice care, mental health concerns, family and sibling dynamics, school challenges, spiritual concerns, grief and bereavement. Our experts train physicians and staff who care for children with serious illnesses throughout our System and the state.

Research

The Supportive Care Clinic participates in local and national research efforts to improve in-person and telehealth care for children who have serious illnesses. Through clinical trials, we evaluate approaches to care that improve communication, resilience, quality of care, and care coordination. Additionally, we offer family-centered spaces for healing, preserve hope, and optimize a child’s quality of life.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis for your child can be an emotional and overwhelming experience. At the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, we are here to support you and your family. We make it our mission to provide the best care—and best experience—for every child, whether treating a toddler during an emergency or helping a teen through chemotherapy treatments. Family plays an important role in your child’s well-being. Not only are you a vital part of your child’s healthcare team; you are a source of security and comfort.

External Resources

• Courageous Parents Network
• CURE Family Webinars
• A Letter to Families Battling Cancer
• Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation SuperSibs Program
• Blue Skies
• Lighthouse Retreat

The Supportive Care Clinic is led by Katharine Brock, MD, MS, and located in the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to facilitate seamless care. Dr. Brock and Anna Lange, CPNP, provide initial consultations and follow-up visits in the clinic at Egleston and Scottish Rite Hospitals. They also offer telehealth visits on selected days of the week. PACT will also follow the patient’s care if admitted to Egleston or Scottish Rite Hospitals.

Karyn Korsah, MD, provides psychiatry care for children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer. Supportive Care Psychiatric services includes support, education, medication management, therapy, and care coordination with the primary team, psychology, and schools. Dr. Korsah treats all psychiatric illnesses and mental health concerns. After referrals from the Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, or Supportive Care teams, she provides initial consultations and follow-up visits at Egleston, Scottish Rite and via telehealth.

Supportive Care Clinic team

• Katharine Brock, MD, MS, Medical Program Director
• Anna Lange, MSN, RN, CPNP

Psychiatry & Mental Health

• Karyn Korsah, MD 

PACT

• Khaliah Johnson, MD, Practice Director, PACT
• Cia Bishop, MD
• Emilee Flynn, MD, MPH
• Andrew McReynolds, MD
  
• Nitya Shah, MD
• Meghan Tracewski, MSN, RN, PNP, CPMT
• Allison Pellettieri, MSW, LCSW
• Maura Savage, MSW, LCSW
• Mary Grace Davenport, MSW, LCSW