St. Catherine’s offering Kitchen Therapy
Garden City, KS(westernkansasnews.com) Cancer patients and others with chronic disease are invited to join St. Catherine Hospital and Heartland Cancer Center for free, monthly Kitchen Therapy cooking demonstrations and tips on ways to choose the healthiest ingredients, make food more appealing and spark appetites.
The first session in 2018 will be held on Thursday, January 18, at 12:00 p.m. at Heartland Cancer Center, 410 E. Spruce Street, Garden City. During Kitchen Therapy, dietitians prepare and share samples of recipes, provide nutrition advice and answer questions to help patients cook-up comfort at home. Kitchen Therapy is presented in Garden City via Zoom technology.
The program is available through St. Catherine Hospital’s membership in Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA), the outreach network of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.
“When I worked as a chemotherapy infusion nurse, one question that always arose was ‘What can I eat’, explains Oncology Nurse Navigator and Kitchen Therapy Facilitator, Viry Dummermuth, BSN, RN, CPN. “Kitchen Therapy helps teach patients how to enjoy food while maximizing the benefits of nutrition.” Kitchen Therapy was originally tested out by MCA in the Kansas City area in 2013 as a way to help cancer patients cope with changes in diet and appetite. As word spread, other members of the Alliance expressed interest in offering the program for their patients. “Like the technology MCA members use for second opinions, Zoom allows us to broadcast the presentation as it is happening in Kansas City,” says MCA Outreach Director, Brooke Groneman. While the presentation is projected on the screen, microphones are open so that questions from all participating member locations can be heard and answered,” Groneman continued.
Kitchen Therapy is scheduled for the third Thursday of every month, January through November. The program is free and open to the public but registration is requested. To participate, please call Viry Dummermuth at 620-765-1443.
