POTSDAM -- Anne J. Giromini, RN, has joined the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Center for Cancer Care as its nurse navigator.

Her duties will include meeting with cancer patients early in their diagnosis to coordinate their care. She will also follow patients as they progress through diagnosis and treatment to ensure all members of the care team, the patient, and the patient’s family receive timely, accurate, and comprehensive facts and guidance that enable informed decision-making, CPH Center for Cancer Care officials said in an email.

“A randomized, controlled clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2013 demonstrated that having a navigator who is a registered nurse improves clinical outcomes for cancer patients in the early stages of their disease,” said Velmalia Matthews-Smith, MD, medical oncologist and breast cancer specialist at the CPH Center for Cancer Care. “Giromini comes with a comprehensive background in oncology and general nursing, as well as a background in accounting, which will help with some of the non-medical aspects of a cancer diagnosis,” she said.

Giromini comes to the CPH Center for Cancer Care from Crouse Hospital, where she was a nursing assistant, staff RN, and most recently charge nurse with responsibility for coordinating the care of a 34-bed oncology/gynecology/medical-surgical floor and a 2-chair infusion room.

The CPH Center for Cancer Care’s nurse navigator is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Giromini may be reached by calling 261-5890.