| BCHS
receieves "Outstanding Achievement Award for Cancer
Care
The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek Health System
has been awarded the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the
American College of Surgeons' 2008 Outstanding Achievement
Award (OAA) as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer
Program. This three-year approval ranks BCHS among the
best hospitals nationwide. In December 2008, The Cancer
Care Center was also recognized with a 'commendation'
award from the CoC.
Approval by the Commission on Cancer is awarded only
to those facilities that have voluntarily committed
to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancer
and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review
of their performances. In order to maintain this recognition,
facilities with approved cancer programs must also undergo
an on-site review every three years.
A facility receives the OAA following an on-site evaluation
by a physician surveyor during which the facility demonstrates
a 'commendation' level of compliance with seven standards
that represent the full scope of the cancer program
(cancer committee leadership, cancer data management,
clinical services, research, community outreach, and
quality improvement). In addition, a facility receives
a compliance rating for the remaining 29 standards.
Only 93 programs nationwide received the OAA in 2008.
That number represents approximately 19 percent of the
programs surveyed.
"The Outstanding Achievement Award is designed
to recognized cancer programs that strive for excellence
in providing quality care to cancer patients,"
says Patrick Garrett, president and CEO of Battle Creek
Health System. "It is a recognition that speaks
volumes about the comprehensive care patients receive
at our Cancer Care Center, and of our commitment that
patients will have access to the best medical specialists
and treatment when fighting cancer. We are especially
appreciative of Drs. Wendy French, Randy Mudge, Vincent
Shen, Stephen Smiley, Sue Tobin and their staffs for
their leadership and expertise in providing such superb
clinical care."
"Receiving treatment in a Commission on Cancer-approved
program ensures that a patient has access to quality
care close to home," added Jeffrey Mitchell, M.D.,
vice president of medical affairs at BCHS. "Our
programs offer information and comprehensive state-of-the-art
services based upon the latest cancer clinical trials,
a multi-specialty team approach that coordinates the
best treatment options, world-class technology, life-long
patient follow-up through cancer registry, and ongoing
monitoring and improvement of care."
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922,
the Approvals Program sets stringent standards for cancer
programs and reviews the programs to make certain they
conform to those standards. Recognizing that cancer
is a complex group of diseases, the program promotes
consultation among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation
oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists,
and other cancer specialists.
The Approvals Program, a component of the CoC, sets
quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews
the programs to ensure they conform to those standards.
Receiving care at a CoC-approved cancer program ensures
that a patient will have access to:
* Comprehensive care
* A multi-specialty team approach to coordinate best
treatment options
* Information about ongoing clinical trials and treatment
options
* Access to cancer-related information, education, and
support
* A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage
of cancers and treatments
* Lifelong patient follow up
* Quality of care close to home
BCHS was the first hospital in Southwest Michigan to
provide a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging
system. PET is a non-invasive, diagnostic procedure
that provides unique information about the function
of body organs and exact locations of disease-information
not available through traditional diagnostic techniques.
PET provides more accurate tumor detection and staging
information to aid oncologists and surgeons in defining
the most appropriate treatment and management options.
The Cancer Care Center was also the first to offer
intensity modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT), the world's most advanced radiation therapy
that conforms to the shape of the tumor. The system
is equipped with special software for planning and delivering
ultra-precise tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous
tumors, significantly reducing the amount of radiation
to surrounding healthy tissues. These include three
dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and
image guided radiation therapy (IGRT).
Battle Creek Health System is an active participant
in the Grand Rapids Clinical Oncology Program (GRCOP),
which is funded by the National Cancer Institute and
a consortium of hospitals. Through clinical trials,
BCHS cancer patients can participate in cutting-edge
treatment research in the quest to cure cancer.
Cancer clinical trials develop better ways of detecting,
treating, and eventually preventing cancer. The trials
test many types of treatment such as new drugs, new
approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, new combinations
of treatments, or new methods such as gene therapy.
By taking part in a clinical trial, participants are
among the first to receive new research treatments before
they are widely available.
The Cancer Care Center at BCHS is also part of the
Mercy Cancer Network, a group of Trinity Health hospitals
throughout Michigan that offer a full-range of cancer
treatments.
Battle Creek Health System is a member of the Association
of Community Cancer
Centers (ACCC). The ACCC is in the forefront of the
development of clinical indicators and guidelines to
evaluate and improve cancer care and patient outcomes.
"These credentials speak highly of the ongoing,
comprehensive care patients receive at The Cancer Care
Center at Battle Creek Health System," says Garrett.
"They also demonstrate a commitment we have to
our patients that they will have access to all of the
medical specialists who are involved in diagnosing and
treating cancer."
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent
organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic
health system in the U.S. with 21 hospitals, 9 nursing
homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care
agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS
Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission
on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Battle
Creek Health System as a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades
Orthopaedic Surgery Excellence Award(tm) and 2009 Five
Star rated for joint replacement surgery and total knee
replacement. HealthGrades is a leading health care information
company that provides objective 'report card' ratings
nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for
the community and promotes wellness for the whole person
with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical
information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com
or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.
About The Cancer Care Center
The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek Health System
offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art services based
upon the latest cancer research, sophisticated diagnostic
equipment, a multi-specialty team including board certified
surgeons who discuss and coordinate treatment plans,
and life-long patient follow-up through cancer registry.
The Cancer Care Center recently unveiled its newly
renovated facilities adding 6,000 square feet of new
area and 3,000 square feet of renovation giving critically
needed treatment space for cancer patients, lifesaving
new technology, a more healing environment, and room
to grow complementary therapies.
The expansion project makes available an American Cancer
Society (ACS) resource library for patients and community
members who wish to learn more about this disease. The
Cancer Center also offers an ACS program called 'Road
to Recovery' that provides transportation for patients
to their lifesaving and life-sustaining treatments at
the hospital.
History of Cancer Care
1947
The Cancer Detection Center of the local cancer society
was created. The first in the U.S. to be operated by
volunteers, the center made it possible for any resident
of Calhoun County who was not already under a physician's
care, top receive a complete cancer examination for
a minimal charge. Such services continue today.
1949
The first cancer registry in the nation was created
here, making it possible for hospitals to record, compile,
and analyze information about the types of cancer appearing
in the county, the treatment given, and survival rates
over a period of time. That database continues to be
of enormous importance in the treatment of cancer.
1950s
Battle Creek was one of the first communities to learn
about and to use the 'PP smear,' a technique for detecting
cancer of the cervix, developed by Dr. George Papanicalaou.
The 'Pap' smear is now a standard cancer-screening procedure
nationwide.
1990s
Battle Creek Health System's linear accelerator is among
the fist in the nation located above ground, a decision
made for the comfort of the patient, not the convenience
of the hospital. Battle Creek took this step because
it creates a friendly, airy, and bright environment
that evokes positive emotions important to healing.
The Battle Creek Health System radiation oncology unit
was one of only 25 beta test sites around the world
to pioneer a three-dimensional imagery process that
compensates for body contours and better distributes
radiation. This is especially important in the treatment
of breast cancer.
2000s
The Cancer Care Center at Battle Creek unveiled a new
cancer treatment technique that involves computer technology
that can regulate and target radiation beams that destroy
cancer cells. It is called intensity modulated radiation
therapy (IMRT), and is partnered with three dimensional
conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and image guided
radiation therapy (IGRT) computer programs. They make
it possible to plan and deliver ultra-precise and tightly
focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors significantly
reducing the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy
tissues.
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