As a social worker at IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center in Carmel, Amber Peck provides supportive counseling and helps patients access resources.
By Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburbs
A self-proclaimed old soul, Amber Peck always enjoyed spending time with her grandparents when she was young.
Those happy memories later inspired her to become a social worker. First, she supports older generations and their families as they navigate hospice or home care, becoming comfortable listening to their stories and what matters to them.
“Everybody is different. Their journey is different and their care is a little different. I became more adept at working with them and their struggles with illness,” says Peck.
Now, more than 20 years later, she is helping to connect cancer patients to resources and achieve their goals at IU Health North Hospital.
Peck joined IU Health in 2016, first at the IU Health University Hospital’s surgical outpatient clinic, then at IU Health North Hospital in 2019. A year later, she started working with patients at IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center in Carmel.
Although Peck is the only social worker assigned there, she is available to all patients at the facility because of psychosocial needs. This includes counseling to assist with a diagnosis of cancer and she also provides referrals to community resources for financial burden and transportation needs.
“Sometimes just being there when they feel overwhelmed. Maybe their cancer has stabilized and gotten better, but those are other life stressors,” says Peck. “Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming to handle, whether it’s a family issue or just a fear of becoming a burden, financially or just wise care.”
Her favorite part of her job is meeting patients, no matter where they are in life—whether they receive good news or bad news, she loves being with them in that moment.
In working with cancer patients, she sees hope, whether it’s the hope of a cure, the hope of quality of life, and the hope of no more pain.
“Hope is different. It goes up and down and flows and changes. I think people are afraid of cancer and they are afraid of seeing people in pain and in difficult circumstances,” Peck said. “I don’t mind going there, sitting with them in that moment and helping them figure out how to get through all of this.”
While Peck can be a source of hope for many, social work can still be a stressful job. It often lacks resources—no matter the industry. In the future, she hopes it can be used more.
March is National Social Work Month
Social workers can be found throughout the IU Health Indianapolis Suburban Area (ISR), including IU Health North, Saxony, Tipton and West hospitals. They are in the emergency department, on the operating floor, primary care office, mental health services, labor and delivery unit, cancer center, etc.
“The social workers in the ISR are very informative. I’m in touch with one of them almost daily, to access their information, expertise, or endorsements,” Peck said. “There is a lot of knowledge from the social workers here in the ISR.”
Making social work part of the caregiving process can be a lot of fun, she adds, because patients are more than just their diagnosis or health condition. Social workers are trained to identify patients’ strengths and what they may need to help them come up with a plan.
For people who come to IU Health and feel they might want to talk to a social worker, she recommends being open and honest about their situation.
“Just talking about situations or difficulties they face can sometimes help them see problems from a different perspective. Social workers are great at identifying resources, providing that support, and validating their feelings,” says Peck. “In the long run, having a social worker involved really helps patients, or even just know they have a social worker if needed.”
