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Riley Children's Cancer Center

Basic support services for Riley Hospital for Children include dietary, spiritual and resource counseling. Additional services include the Child Life Program that addresses stress and emotional concerns, a School Program for tutoring and educational needs, Music Therapy and the Frank and Marian Snyder Family Resource Center.

Riley offers some basic support services

A Social Worker will be assigned to you and your family at the time of diagnosis, and will follow you throughout your treatment. The social worker is a member of the medical care team that can provide assistance in obtaining a variety of resources within the hospital and community. Your social worker can help with emotional support, counseling, lodging, school and education issues, crisis intervention, financial concerns, transportation, and insurance. If you would like to speak with a social worker, just ask your oncologist to connect you will one or contact social services directly at 317-274-0115.

A nutritionist or dietician will provide nutritional counseling to help you decide on a diet considering your child's special needs. Healthy eating will help recovery and maintaining your child's well-being following treatment. Call (317) 274-3623 for the nutrition office.

Chaplains provide spiritual counseling to help you and your family deal with feelings and spiritual concerns. They help you draw upon your own spiritual beliefs to provide support, strength and meaning in your life. A staff member will contact the chaplain for you, or you may contact the chaplain directly by calling (317) 274-7415 between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm.

The Frank and Marian Snyder Family Resource Center is located in the Riley Outpatient Center (ROC) at Riley Hospital for Children. The Family Resource Center includes:

• The Edward A Block Family Library, a good place to find educational materials about your child's disease and available services and support groups in your community
• The Riley Family Education Center which helps facilitate the independence of our patients, families and caregivers by helping them learn new skills and make care decisions
• Riley Chapel, a quiet place where people can come for meditation, prayer or a private time for reflection
• The Ronald McDonald House at Riley, a home-away-from home for families with sick children being treated at Riley Hospital for Children, providing overnight guest rooms and a soothing place to escape the hospital environment