The Transplant Mentor Program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is based on the concept of looking to one's peers to learn from their experiences. The mentors of the program are patients who have already successfully gone through transplant. Knowing that others have survived the experience, and are available to discuss it, may be both helpful and reassuring. The mentors of the program are patients who have already successfully gone through transplant.
The word mentor refers to one who is a guide or teacher. The transplant mentors strive to instill confidence and provide encouragement as patients move forward through the transplant process. Mentors are expected to maintain confidentiality of patient information.
Program Goals
The program is a valuable and unique program designed to provide information, guidance and emotional support to those involved in the transplant process. The confidential program also offers a social network of peers to help those experiencing the process to overcome the sense of being alone, and to encourage staying active before and after transplant.
What The Program Offers
The mentors enhance your care by:
- Providing peer support. Mentors provide patients with support through telephone calls, visits, mail or E-mail.
- Providing helpful transplant information. Mentors offer education from a peer perspective. This one-on-one communication with another transplant patient offers both an individualized and highly personal account of the transplant process. It is rooted in the mentor's own experience.
- Helping patients work with the transplant team. The importance of working well with the transplant team cannot be over emphasized. Mentors, because of their personal experience, can assist the patient in learning to interact in a productive way with the team.
- Providing support and encouragement to comply with prescribed medications and exercise. Strict compliance with medical and physical care plans is critical to a positive outcome for transplantation. Mentors offer support and encouragement in this process.
- Encouraging patients to stay active. Mentors provide support to help patients take advantage of the activities available through the Second Wind Association of St. Louis, through the Heart Transplant Association of St. Louis, through the National Kidney Foundation, Mid-America Transplant Services, and through Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as well as those offered by the city of St. Louis.
- Providing knowledge of resources for relocation to the St. Louis area. Mentors can provide information about the city and where other transplant patients have chosen to live. They can also provide information on what various rental units are like.
Take Advantage Of This Support System
The Mentor Program is entirely voluntary and is offered to all transplant candidates and their families during the formal evaluation phase. A Social Worker will discuss the Mentor Program with you at that time. Patients may join or leave the mentoring program at any time during the transplant process without affecting the care provided by Barnes-Jewish Hospital, its staff or physicians.
How To Participate
To inquire about the Transplant Mentor Program please contact the Barnes-Jewish Hospital transplant social work offices or complete our online form.
- Lung - 314-362-6127 800-321-4054
- Kidney - 314-362-5577 800-633-9906
- Liver - 314-362-1956 800-295-4734
- Heart - 314-362-5070 800-521-3275
The Transplant Mentor Program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital represents a collaborative effort between Case Management Services and the Transplant Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
Learn more and read a personal mentor's story.