CARISSA THOMPSON, RN, BSN, OCN

Stoddard Care Coordinators
1221 Pleasant Street, Ste 590 
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
p: 515-241-4018

Carissa Thompson :: Stoddard Care Coordinator

Carissa joined the Stoddard team in April of 2009. Prior to coming to Stoddard she was a staff nurse at Medical Oncology and Hematology Associates in Des Moines. Carissa has also worked as an oncology nurse on the Stoddard Adult Oncology Inpatient Unit. At Stoddard she specializes in the care of lung cancer patients, facilitates the lung cancer multidisciplinary team and the Young Cancer Survivors Support Group the Getting Started: What to Know Before Starting Chemotherapy class.

"Being diagnosed with cancer can be overwhelming and confusing and my role as a care coordinator is to be that familiar face that helps pull the team and treatment process together," says Carissa. "We also educate the patient and their loved ones about everything from testing, to diagnosis, to treatment."

Stoddard Care Coordinators work with the physicians to monitor and help treat patients suffering from treatment related side effects. Care coordinators also help assess patient's needs for referrals within the multidisciplinary team including social workers, dieticians, psychiatry, pastoral care, and more. Coordinators are also involved in the health of the community by participating in community education programs to promote awareness and improved preventative health. And most importantly, the care coordinator is here to listen, offering emotional support to patients and families and helping them know that they don't have to walk this journey alone.