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St. Joseph Hospital Selected for NCI Community Cancer Center Program Pilot

Posted on: Thursday, 14 June 2007, 18:19 CDT

St. Joseph Hospital was named as one of 14 sites in the country today by The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to participate in a three-year pilot for the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP). St. Joseph Hospital was the only hospital on the West Coast named for the NCCCP pilot.

"St. Joseph Hospital's participation in the NCCCP pilot is far reaching in establishing the St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center as a world-class cancer facility," says St. Joseph Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Larry K. Ainsworth. "St. Joseph Hospital's experience and clinical expertise in cancer research, addressing health disparities, information technology and biospecimen collection and management, will help the NCI formulate best practices for cancer care both now and in the future."

The NCCCP pilot is designed to encourage the collaboration of private-practice medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists -- with close links to NCI research and to the network of 63 NCI-designated Cancer Centers principally based at large research universities. Evidence from a wide range of studies suggests that cancer patients diagnosed and treated in such a setting of multi-specialty care and clinical research may live longer and have a better quality of life.

The pilot program will research new and enhanced ways to assist, educate and better treat the needs of underserved populations--including elderly, rural, inner-city and low-income patients--as well as racial and ethnic groups with unusually high cancer rates.

"It is becoming clear that one of the greatest determinants of cancer mortality in the years ahead will be access to care," said NCI Director John E. Niederhuber, M.D. "This program will succeed if it can bring the benefits of our latest science to people in the communities where they live."

The pilot will begin at eight free-standing community hospitals and six additional locations that are part of national health care systems. St. Joseph Hospital was selected as one of the eight free-standing community hospital participants. The sites will be funded for a collective total of $5 million per year.

An NCI panel of experts and an independent group of outside experts will set milestones, monitor progress, and evaluate success of the three-year pilot and then issue recommendations for a full-fledged program.

NCCCP pilot sites will study how community hospitals nationwide could most effectively develop and implement a national database of voluntarily provided electronic medical records accessible to cancer researchers. The sites will also study methods of expanding and standardizing the collection of blood and tissue specimens voluntarily obtained from patients for cancer research.

About St. Joseph Hospital

Founded in 1929, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange is a 412-bed, not-for-profit Catholic hospital dedicated to extending the healthcare ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. In February 2007, St. Joseph Hospital was named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence. St. Joseph Hospital's reputation for compassionate care and clinical excellence -- as well as its highly recognized 1,000-member medical staff -- has also earned it the distinction of being named to the Leapfrog Group's Top Hospitals of 2006 list. St. Joseph Hospital's dedication to setting healthcare quality standards extends beyond the walls of the hospital's Orange campus. Through many outreach services, a free-standing medical and dental clinic, and two mobile health vans, St. Joseph Hospital meets the needs of the medically underserved. For more information about St. Joseph Hospital, visit our website at www.sjo.org.

About the St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center

The St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center offers world-class cancer care that integrates technology, research and years of experience with a patient-centered focus encompassing the whole person -- mind, body and spirit. Led by physicians and staff dedicated to clinical excellence, we offer state-of-the-art technology for early detection and treatment; targeted therapeutics and cutting edge research to find more effective and less invasive treatments, and eventually we hope, a cure. And our multidisciplinary team approach to site-specific care achieves survival rates that exceed state and national standards. While compassionate care is the focal point of all patient interactions, our Nurse Navigators add additional peace of mind as they move side by side with patients -- beginning at the point of diagnosis and continuing throughout treatment and survivorship. They treat each patient as a unique individual anticipating their concerns, coordinating and expediting appointments, identifying clinical trials, and ensuring access to the information and support they need. The St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center. Defeating cancer is our life's work. For more information, visit www.sjo.org/cancer.

About NCI

Established under the National Cancer Act of 1937, NCI is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and control. The National Cancer Act of 1971 directs NCI to plan and develop an expanded, intensified and coordinated cancer research program. To carry out this mission, NCI utilizes a number of funding mechanisms -- including contracts -- to conduct and support cancer-related activities on the nature, prevention detection and treatment of cancer.

Source: Business Wire

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