Page 22 - SFHN0119pagesFINAL.qxp_Page layout

ONCOLOGY UPDATE in South Florida ...ONCOLOGY UPDATE in South Florida

Memorial Healthcare System Making Strides in Research,

Community Outreach, and Patient Experience

New Research and Cancer, a data clearinghouse. Yet, it is tricity. This has enabled them
Partnership with Moffitt nearly 100% preventable. to train healthcare profession-
Cancer Center In an effort to reduce the number of als in Haiti to screen in any
A year and half after first coming togeth- deaths, two Memorial Healthcare System rural or urban setting, and
er in a clinical partnership that has physicians founded Primary Care Haiti, a make way for treatment that
enhanced care for leukemia and lym- 501 (c)(3) organization that provides con- enables the health centers to
phoma patients in South Florida, Tampa- tinuing medical education to healthcare develop a sustainable pro-
based Moffitt Cancer Center and Memorial professionals in Haiti. gram.
Healthcare System have taken their rela- “Our initial focus was on the early “Next steps for our organi-
tionship to a whole new level. In detection and treatment of cervical pre- zation include combining the
November 2018, both institutions extend- cancer, which is caused by the HPV virus screen and treat program with
ed their partnership to include research, and is easily detectable using a pap smear,” point of care HPV testing, col-
giving patients access to Moffitt trials said Primary Care Haiti Co-founder laborating with other non- Patrick T. Ryan, Robert Parker, John Brown and Vedner
while receiving care at Memorial Hospital Jennifer Goldman, D.O., a board-certified profit organizations in Haiti, Guerrier with the Guardian of Excellence Award
West in Pembroke Pines, the facility where family physician and medical director at and working with pharma-
Moffitt’s Malignant Hematology and South Broward Community Health ceutical companies to bring
Cellular Therapy program resides. Services, Memorial’s primary care the HPV vaccine to the island
The portfolio of trials is extensive, provider. “Unfortunately, pap smears are to prevent further incidence
according to Candice Sareli, M.D., chief resource intensive and logistically difficult of cervical cancer,” said Dr.
medical research officer at Memorial in Haiti.” Kissinger Goldman.
Healthcare System’s Office of Human In addition to the equipment needed for
Research. “Moffitt is a National Cancer each test, a pathologist is needed to read Memorial Cancer
Institute (NCI) accredited site and they do each sample individually. With very few Institute Wins 2018
a large amount of investigator initiated and pathologists in Haiti, getting these slides Guardian of Excellence
translational (bench to bedside) research. read was challenging. To overcome the Award Memorial Hospital West
This is a major benefit for patients in logistical hurdles, the group partnered Memorial Healthcare Press Ganey. “They are truly
South Florida.” with the Institute Haitien D’Oncologie, the System’s Memorial Cancer dedicated to delivering excep-
The Moffitt program at Memorial Haitian Institute of Oncology, and started Institute and Memorial tional care in the communi-
Hospital West is led by Hugo Fernandez, training local Haitian healthcare providers Physician Group have ties they serve, and their com-
M.D., and provides services of malignant on how to conduct the pap smears. During received the 2018 Guardian mitment to capturing and act-
hematology therapy and blood and mar- initial training sessions, Primary Care of Excellence Award® from ing on patient experience
row transplant, as well as those related to Haiti had more than 600 patients seek Press Ganey for providing an feedback is a very powerful
molecular diagnostics, personalized medi- diagnostic services. exceptional patient experi- demonstration of this.”
cine, and hematopathology. In less than “In our quest for high quality, low cost, ence. The award honors top- Presented annually, the
two years, the program has conducted highly sensitive screening tests for cervical performing healthcare organi- Press Ganey Guardian of
more than 100 bone and marrow trans- cancer, we then turned to the World zations who have reached the Excellence Award is recog-
plants from both autologous (self) and Health Organization for screen and treat 95th percentile for patient nized nationally as a symbol
allogenic (related or unrelated) donors. programs for low resource countries,” said experience, engagement or of achievement in health care.
Kissinger Goldman, D.O., MBA, a board- clinical quality performance.
Memorial Healthcare System certified emergency physician at Memorial Recipients have sustained Dr. Hugo Fernandez The award underscores inno-
Physicians Answer Haiti’s Call Hospital West and the director of patient performance in the top 5% for vative approaches to physical
medicine that makes it possi-
Cervical cancer is the most common experience for Memorial Healthcare each reporting period for the award year. ble for health administrators to lower costs
cancer for Haitian women, and the second System’s emergency departments. "We are proud to partner with Memorial while achieving better outcomes, increas-
leading cause of cancer deaths among that Primary Care Haiti was able to secure Cancer Institute to support their mission ing patient satisfaction, and improving the
group, according to the Institut Català medical devices that were portable and to provide safe, high-quality, patient-cen- work life of health care providers.
d’Oncologia Information Centre on HPV would work in areas with little or no elec- tered care,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of

Lung Screenings Key to Cancer Survival

Plenty has changed since Thoracic Oncology for for detection. ing people from getting lung cancer
1957 when Surgeon General Broward Health, has been a “In later stages, patients may present screenings is a lack of education, yet he
Leroy E. Burney and the U.S. thoracic surgeon for 25 weight loss, wheezing and hemoptysis or remains optimistic.
Public Health Service recog- years, and is passionate coughing blood,” said Tishko. “By then “If we have been able to convince peo-
nized the link between smok- about treating and prevent- the disease has probably spread beyond ple to get mammographies and colono-
ing and lung cancer. ing lung cancer. According the lungs, making it harder to treat. Early scopies,” said Tishko, “we can certainly
Although great strides have to Tishko, even though detection can significantly lower the explain the importance of a CT scan to
been taken to educate on the smoking is still the most chance of dying from lung cancer.” detect lung cancer.”
community on the risks of significant risk factor for A low dose CT scan of the thoracic The Centers for Disease Control and
smoking, it is still the number lung cancer, recent years area is all that is needed to screen for Prevention (CDC) recommends people
one cause for lung cancer and have seen an increase in lung cancer. It does not require needles between the ages of 55 and 80 who
lung cancer is a major health patients who do not or infusion and only minimal exposure smoke or have quit smoking within the
concern. smoke. to radiation. last 15 years and have a history of heavy
Responsible for more deaths Dr. Dennis Tishko “Sadly, lung cancer “A study published by the National smoking to request a yearly lung cancer
than breast, ovarian, uterine, accounts for five times Institute of Health shows that the all- screening.
colon, prostate and brain cancers com- more deaths than breast cancer,” said cause mortality, or deaths due to any fac- The first step to getting a lung cancer
bined, lung cancer is reported to account Tishko. “But we do not talk about it reg- tor, is reduced by seven percent when the screening is to schedule a physician eval-
for 25 percent of all cancer deaths. An ularly and 95 percent of the population is scan is performed,” said Tishko. “As an uation.
estimated 154,000 Americans are expect- not being screened for the disease.” added benefit, as we capture other
ed to die from the disease this year, Not only does lung cancer present a organs, we can detect other conditions
according to the American Cancer high prevalence rate, it also shows no that would have remained otherwise To find a Broward Health physician, visit
Association. significant symptoms until later stages, unknown.” www.browardhealth.org/physicians.
Dennis Tishko, M.D., Director of making early screenings the main source For Tishko, the main obstacle prevent-

22 January 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News