The Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic (CMCC) provides free complementary alternative medicine (CAM) for low-income women with cancer. CAM treatments such as acupuncture, Chinese and western herbs, massage therapy, homeopathy, therapeutic imagery, and other holistic modalities effectively ease the disabling symptoms of chemotherapy (nausea, pain, fatigue), increasing the probability that clients can complete their prescribed treatments on time and in the recommended doses. Research indicates that such timely completion may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and is therefore a critical factor in improving survival chances. CMCC integrates evidence-based CAM with social services, transportation, organic foods, and on-site cancer survivorship programs (exercise and group support, cancer-specific nutrition education) to address the combined challenges of cancer and poverty. CMCC has well-defined, stage-appropriate treatment and support whether women are in active treatment, in remission and requiring support for immune recovery, living with the challenges of advanced cancers, or contending with a diagnosis of end-stage cancer.

CMCC’s mission is to ensure more equitable access to the full range of evidence-based cancer treatments, programs and resources that could potentially benefit individuals diagnosed with cancer, allowing the women who come to our clinics to make informed choices about their health care and their lives.

CMCC serves approximately 800 low-income women using a highly skilled corps of 440 CAM practitioners. Bilingual practitioners and interpreters increase linguistic access for women with limited English proficiency (40% of client population). CMCC is a nationally recognized model for providing compassionate, cost-effective care within the public health care setting.