IMPROVING CARE FOR CANCER PROJECT TEAM WORKS TO CREATE CENTER THAT OFFERS PATIENTS ALL THE EXPERTS IN ONE VISIT hen a patient receives a diagnosis of cancer, he or she faces many uncertainties. Is my diagnosis correct? Is the plan my doctor has recommended the one I should follow? Are there other treatment options? How do I cope with this difficult time? Answering these and other questions—and coordinating the care of newly diagnosed cancer patients— is the goal of a project team formed this year through St. Joseph’s Foundation. The team of doctors, Foundation board members, and hospital employees hopes to raise $1 million for a Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center would be a one-stop center that provides patients a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan, and that coordinates the patient’s care throughout the cancer journey. The Center would bring together cancer experts from throughout St. Joseph’s to review a patient’s case, develop an integrated, multidisciplinary treatment plan, and coordinate implementation of the plan. In one visit, a patient could meet with a team of cancer experts to discuss his or her case and learn about treatment options. The patient could ask questions and talk about concerns. By the end of the visit, the patient would leave with a plan, answers to questions, and greater confidence about the future. The Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center Project Team is seeking contributions to cover the cost of: • New equipment to ensure high quality diagnosis • Space renovations to create efficient, patient-friendly areas • A conference room equipped with a video microscope, a wireless remote, plasma monitors, teleconference phones, and a video recorder for teampatient meetings. Members of the Project Team include co-champions Sister Madonna Marie Bolton, Edward Donahue, MD, and Cassandra Groh; Mary Sue Aasheim; Ivor Benjamin, MD; Ross Bremner, MD; David Brachman, MD; Cindy Brown; L. Don Brown; Burt Feuerstein, PhD; Les Gin; Richard Horn; Kathy Kramer; Pamela Purdy; Mary Schneider; Joseph Urdaneta, MD; Penny Walker; Christine Wilkinson, PhD; and Ted Williams.
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St. Joseph’s Cancer Center currently offers patients a wide range of services, from state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment to genetics counseling, pain management, diet assessment, and clinical trials. The Center has treatment modalities found at no other hospital in Arizona, including CyberKnife and Gamma Knife, and it has a broad panel of experts in such areas as lung cancer,brain tumors,breast cancer,gynecological cancer,and gastrointestinal cancer, along with many social services. For information about how you can support this important initiative, please call St. Joseph’s Foundation at 602-406-3041 or email Sister Madonna Marie Bolton at MBolton@chw.edu.
Gail Brown, NP, and Edward Donahue, MD
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