Clearing the barriers: Health PEI's cancer patient navigator

“There’s a real problem-solving element to this job, and I love that,” said Michelle Barton, the cancer patient navigator for Health PEI. 

The health care system can be complex. It’s often difficult for patients to find their way to the care or resources they need. As the cancer patient navigator, Michelle works with people, their families, and their caregivers to overcome the barriers to cancer screening and diagnosis, cancer care, and resources needed before, during, and after cancer treatment.

“Working with patients and their families is my favourite part of the job. There are a lot of reasons why someone might reach out to me for help. Maybe they don’t have a primary care provider. Maybe there are some health literacy issues, or they’re a newcomer who is unfamiliar with the PEI health care system.”

     – Michelle Barton, cancer patient navigator

Michelle makes calls on behalf of patients for numerous reasons, including helping support transitions in care, improving communication during out-of-province medical care, and connecting people to the most appropriate health care service to meet their need.

“A lot of this job is also knowledge translation,” explained Michelle. “When a patient receives a diagnosis, it can be very stressful. It’s not the fault of the health care provider, but sometimes the patient doesn’t take everything in. I can help find that information, so patients and their caregivers can understand the situation better.”

Working with patients and their families and caregivers, Michelle often finds areas where the system can improve.

“I’m in a unique position to see where there is a gap or barrier to care,” she said. “Helping people get past those barriers is really rewarding. But I also get to work with the system to advocate for changes to remove some of the barriers we might not see.”

As the cancer patient navigator, Michelle often works with the growing group of patient navigators within Health PEI. 

“We’re building a community of practice, learning together and growing together,” she said. “We meet monthly to share resources and discuss trends we’re seeing across the system. There’s a real opportunity to collaborate and keep one another informed about the frequently changing services and resources that are outside of our specific area of focus.”

Learn more about Health PEI’s cancer patient navigation program, including how to contact Michelle, at the program website.