The Bronx Oncology Living Daily (BOLD Living) Program, now under the newly formed Integrative Oncology Program,
is a free, wellness and support program that was launched in 2008 to
meet the particular needs of those affected by cancer in the Bronx. The
program grew out of an ongoing psychosocial needs assessment of cancer
patients in which we directly asked them what services they would want
to help them better cope and take charge of their health as they undergo
this cancer journey. More than half of patients have asked for
mind-body programs, physical
fitness/nutrition workshops, creative arts programs, and health
education classes with nearly one quarter requesting individual
counseling and someone to accompany them to treatment or provide phone
support. In an effort to respond to these needs, our BOLD Wellness
Workshop hosts over 10 free workshops per month at four different
locations in the Bronx associated with the Montefiore Einstein Center
for Cancer Care. In any given month, patients and their loved ones can
participate in yoga, crochet, scrapbooking, a drum circle, Reiki
healing, meditation, Aikido, and a walking group. In addition, there is
weekly counseling and support groups lead by mental health counseling
interns, and peer counseling through our volunteer-based BOLD Buddy
Program. Everything is free, available in English and Spanish, and
accessible to anyone affected by cancer in the Bronx regardless of where
they receive their medical care. Our goal is to empower through
education, nurture through support, and serve through understanding our
community.
The Director of the Integrative Oncology and BOLD Program, Dr. Alyson Moadel-Robblee,
is a health psychologist, Associate Professor at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, and Director of the Psychosocial Oncology Program
of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care since 1998. She has
been committed to helping those facing cancer with limited financial and
emotional support since losing her own single mother to breast cancer
when she was sixteen years old. She has a dedicated team of BOLD Program
coordinators, outreach workers, interns and volunteers who enable the
BOLD Program to provide no-cost services to over 1,000 cancer patients
and family members each year. The Medical Director of the Integrative
Oncology Program is Dr. Fernando Camacho, an oncologist with experience
in community cancer care for over 30 years. Dr. Camacho, a member of
the Latino community himself, is a passionate mindfulness meditation
practitioner and teacher who is bringing meditation workshops to
English- and Spanish-speaking cancer patients, family members, medical
providers, and medical students at Montefiore-Einstein.