Facing cancer can be worrisome, but wading through it during a pandemic can be downright scary.

“Certainly if somebody is getting a treatment that puts them at risk of immunosuppression, they would be in the higher risk category to contract the virus if they were to come in contact with someone who was infected,” said Dr. Roberto Fratamico, a hematologist and oncologist at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cancer Center in Lehighton. “Their caretakers and the patients themselves should take extra precautions.”

This means following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of washing their hands with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer, staying at least 6 feet apart from people outside their household, and wearing a mask in public.

“Whether it’s a cloth mask or surgical mask, it’s always a good idea when going out in public to wear a mask,” he said.

Fratamico said cancer patients should consider limiting their exposure to people outside their family unit, and letting someone else in the family go to the grocery store and run errands.

He said talking to someone about one’s fears can also be helpful. LVHN offers individual counseling, family counseling, and group counseling through the Cancer Institute.

Fratamico recommends that patients talk to others undergoing cancer treatments during this pandemic.

“I think it’s important for them to relate to people who are in a similar situation, and hear how they did with their treatment and their process of coming into a health care venue,” he said.

“I’m sure the COVID-19 virus is the number one talking point in these cancer support groups.”

The Cancer Institute also has a group for those who have beaten the disease called Survivor Place.

But the first step to treatment is walking through the door. Fratamico said the health network has taken the necessary precautions to keep patients safe.

Nicole Reimer, clinical director of several centers in the LVHN Cancer Institute, said someone from a center calls the patient and asks if he or she has any symptoms of COVID-19.

Patients are also asked if the person has been exposed to someone with the virus, or if they themselves have tested positive for the virus. If a patient is positive for the virus, then he or she is not allowed to come into the center.

“We recommend that they do not come into the practice until they are 14 days symptom free,” she said.

Patients who do not have the virus can come in for their regularly scheduled appointments.

When they arrive, the patients are once again asked those same questions, and their temperature is taken.

Fratamico said some of the exam rooms at the Lehighton center are now being used for the intake process in order to keep patients separated from each other.

The goal is to help them feel safe and comfortable.

Although the cancer center in Lehighton is no longer offering infusion treatment and some other cancer treatments, patients can access these treatments at the centers in Bangor, Muhlenberg campus, Cedar Crest, Pocono, Hazleton and Schuylkill.

The Lehighton center provides treatment for benign conditions, anemia and low blood count issues.

“I have a lot of respect for Dr. Fratamico,” Reimer said. “He’s fabulous. He’s kind, compassionate, smart and patient. Nurses that have physicians like him, we adore them. He’s so approachable and easy to talk to. He will listen to your questions.”

Fratamico is at the Lehighton center on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and at the Cedar Crest campus on Wednesday and Thursday.