‘World-class’ cancer services in Niagara
Terrence Sullivan, President of Cancer Care Ontario, and Dr. Janice Giesbrecht, Medical Director of the Niagara Health System’s Oncology Program, talk about planning underway to enhance cancer services prior to taking a recent tour of the Walker Family Cancer Centre construction site.
It is often said that a hospital is about so much more than bricks and mortar. And so it is for the new Walker Family Cancer Centre, currently under construction in St. Catharines.
While there is much excitement over the physical development of the cancer centre taking shape, it is what will take place behind the walls once it opens that has people in Niagara and beyond eagerly anticipating its opening in 2013.
Long before the foundation was poured for the new regional cancer centre, members of Niagara Health’s oncology program were working with partners Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) and Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton to ensure the thousands of patients touched by cancer in Niagara receive quality, compassionate care now and when the new centre opens.
“Our cancer services have increased about 30% in the last five years,” says Dr. Janice Giesbrecht, Medical Director of the oncology program. “We will continue to improve cancer care in Niagara by introducing new services and focusing more on the patient experience.”
The most anticipated new service that will be offered at the Walker Family Cancer Centre, and in Niagara for the first time, is radiation therapy.
“Providing radiation therapy closer to home will help make treatments easier on our patients and will hopefully increase the number of patients who choose this course of treatment,” says Dr. Giesbrecht. “This will enable us to provide all cancer treatments to 95% of patients diagnosed with cancer in this region, eliminating the need for patients to travel outside Niagara for radiation therapy.”
Currently, an estimated 1,200 patients travel to Hamilton and beyond each year for life-saving radiation treatment.
Oncology program leaders are looking at all aspects of the delivery of cancer services in preparation for the opening of the Walker Family Cancer Centre. In this integrated partnership model with Juravinski, they are working on everything from radiation and chemotherapy services to a shared information system, academic involvement, human resources planning and palliative care services.
Along with expanded chemotherapy services, the program recently introduced a prostate cancer clinic for men and a diagnostic assessment program for patients with a suspicion of lung cancer. In addition, radiation specialists from Juravinski are coming to Niagara Health on a regular basis to consult with their medical colleagues on patient cases.
Improving the quality of cancer care is something CCO is focused on across the province. On a tour of the Niagara cancer centre construction site recently, the then President and CEO of CCO talked about the work underway to strengthen the focus on the patient experience.
The recently released Ontario Cancer Plan outlines priorities for 2011-2015 for cancer services, sets a course to transform cancer services from the patient perspective, and is driven by a commitment to quality across the cancer journey – from prevention to survivorship or palliative care – as the most effective way to manage cancer.
CCO’s Terrence Sullivan predicts both the calibre of the leadership and strong relationship between Juravinski and the Walker Family Cancer Centre will serve as a catalyst for the best possible cancer care in Niagara.
“By building on the talent in Niagara and at Juravinski,” he says, “you will have world-class services to treat patients when you open the doors at this new cancer centre.” «
