Patient and Family Resource Centers

Patient and Family Resource Centers Contact Information

The Blum Resource Center in Longwood is temporarily closed. It will be reopening early in 2024 in a new location on the first floor of the Yawkey building.

Location

Blum Patient and Family Resource Center
Yawkey Center for Cancer Care, 1st Floor
450 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

Email

blum_center@dfci.harvard.edu

Phone

617-632-5570 or 800-525-5068

Hours

Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

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Located on the first floor of Dana-Farber's Yawkey Center, the Blum Resource Center provides patients and family members with a comfortable environment to learn more about disease treatment and management. The center's staff and volunteers can help you find answers to health-related questions, and can guide you through Dana-Farber's programs and services.

The Blum Resource Center offers computer stations, copy and fax machines, charging stations, videos, CDs, a private consult room, and a lending library. Ongoing support groups, seminars, and lectures are conducted at the resource center. Visit our Program Calendar to learn more.

Stop by the center to pick up a complimentary Hope Bag (for patients) or Care Bag (for caregivers).

Resource pamphlets, teaching sheets, and books are offered in English and other languages, and provide detailed information on variety of topics, including:

  • New diagnosis
  • Cancer in the family; explaining cancer to children
  • Caregiver resources
  • Treatments: chemotherapy, radiation surgery, and targeted therapy
  • Financial resources
  • Nutrition
  • Symptom management
  • Supportive resources at Dana-Farber
  • Recommended cancer-related websites

Explore Our Resources, Programs, and Services

The Chestnut Hill Center for Education and Support

Open from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Center for Education and Support is a space for patients and families to learn about and access a variety of the resources on cancer types, treatment, nutrition, finance, and others displayed on our Digital Resource Center. Our volunteers on site can help you navigate these resources, as well as provide more information on supportive workshops and programs going on across the Institute. Patients and families are welcome to come by to explore our resources, read and relax, use one of our computers, or charge their phones. Feel free to come in and ask one of our volunteers for a tour of the space to learn more!

Digital Art Display at the Chestnut Hill Center for Education and Support

Located in the Center for Education and Support, the Digital Art Display showcases artwork made by patients and families. If you are interested in submitting your work to be displayed, please fill out this form. If you are on site for an appointment, come by to see and appreciate the incredible art shared with us!

Online Programs and Workshops

The Longwood Blum Resource Center is temporarily closed, but we continue to offer online and virtual programs to support patients and their loved ones, regardless of the location at which they are treated.

Our Digital Library

Dana-Farber’s patient and family resource centers are now offering access to a curated collection of e-books, audiobooks, and magazines on Overdrive, a digital library platform. This is part of our ongoing effort to help bring comfort to patients, families, and visitors. Register for a library card and our team will send you a personal access code. Happy Reading!

Virtual Programs

The Blum Center hosts regular online sessions using Zoom on topics including Spirituality and Cancer, Survivorship, Managing Your Finances, Insomnia, and much more. Please check our Program Calendar for live sessions being offered, and visit our YouTube playlist for recorded sessions.

Blum Digital Resource Center

Our digital resource center is an online extension of the resource information and brochures that you would find visiting Blum or the Center for Education and Support on site. Visit the digital resource center to find information on different disease types, treatments, Dana-Farber resources, and more.

"Light One Little Candle"

Light One Little Candle was created in 2005 by Joelle Pauporte, MD, a young physician, wife, and mother who passed away that same year after a two-year battle with breast cancer. From her vision, the organization now delivers new children's books (in a variety of languages) for patients to keep and share with their families, to promote comfort and support through reading together.

Prior to the pandemic, patients would be able to choose a book from the Eleanor and Maxwell Blum Patient and Family Resource Center. Given that the Center in Longwood is temporarily closed, we have decided to offer e-books. To request a children's book, fill out the request form.

For those who would prefer a physical book and are visiting our Chestnut Hill location, please stop into the Chestnut Hill Center for Education and Support on the 3rd floor next to Lab Services.

Thank you so much to Light Once Little Candle for supporting our patients and families!

Resources for Marginalized Patients and Advocates

Dana-Farber is committed to reducing barriers to high-quality cancer care for medically underserved patients and their loved ones. And we are committed to addressing the socio-economic disparities and cultural differences that affect cancer risk. Learn about our resources for bringing cancer screening, treatment, and research to underserved patients and communities.

Recursos en Español

El Centro de Recursos Eleanor y Maxwell Blum, de Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, ofrece recursos en Español para pacientes y familiares.

Centro Blum de Dana-Farber ofrece recursos en Español

El Centro de Recursos Eleanor y Maxwell Blum, de Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, ofrece recursos en Español para pacientes y familiares.

How to Submit Programs or Resource Information to Our Resource Center

Thank you for your interest in listing your no-cost community program or resource with Dana-Farber. Please complete each section of the request form below. (Please note that we list only no-cost programs and cannot consider incomplete forms.) Submissions are reviewed monthly by the appropriate Dana-Farber content experts. This process can take up to 6-8 weeks. We will be in touch with you when a decision is reached. Please note that accepted listings do not constitute any type of formalized partnership with Dana-Farber. 

Resource or Program Request Form

Thank you in advance for your patience as we conduct our review.

Support Services at Dana-Farber

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Support Services and Amenities

We offer a wide range of services, from financial planning to creative arts to spiritual counsel, to support our patients through their cancer experiences.

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Dana-Farber Care Card

Make cashless purchases for food and services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with this reloadable spending card.

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Dana-Farber Patient Portals

Find information about connecting with your health care team, new patient registration materials, quick links to selected patient programs and services, and more.