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What’s New... What’s New... What’s New...

Holy Cross Health Receives One Million Dollar Miami Cancer Institute Brings Together Experts

Grant from The Jim Moran Foundation to Establish Who Share Newest Advances for Treating

the Holy Cross Family Health Center Hematologic Malignancies

Exciting advances in immunotherapy, the discovery of
novel agents and a better understanding of the molecular
makeup of an individual’s disease are leading to revolu-
tionary changes in the treatment of patients with hema-
tologic cancers. The news on the latest promising treat-
ments impacting life expectancy and quality of life came
out of Miami Cancer Institute’s Summit of the Americas
on Immunotherapies for Hematologic Malignancies, the
second annual gathering of the top experts in the field.
Nearly 300 physicians and other healthcare providers
attended the Summit.
In the United States in 2020, nearly 180,000 people
were diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, according to
the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. As clinical trials and Dr. Guenther Koehne
research continue, physician scientists are gaining more
insight into which patients respond better to immunotherapy versus chemotherapy
or who might need a combination of the treatments along with stem cell transplan-
tation, said Guenther Koehne, M.D., Ph.D., course director and deputy director and
From Holy Cross Health (l-r) Scott Ford, Vice President, Development; chief of Blood & Marrow Transplant and Hematologic Oncology at Miami Cancer
Kim Saiswick, EdD, RN, LMHC, Vice President, Community Health & Well Being; Institute.
“There has been an explosion in research that has led to a rapidly evolving envi-
Marcie Hall, Director of Development.
ronment in the treatment of cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple
myeloma,” Dr. Koehne said. “The Summit faculty are physicians who are overseeing
With a one million dollar grant from The Jim Moran Foundation in commemora- many of these treatment breakthroughs. By sharing information in this format, we can
tion of its 20th anniversary, Holy Cross Health will establish the Holy Cross Family move these developments to the patient bedside more quickly.”
Health Center to improve the quality of life for underserved youth, individuals and Dr. Koehne is a pioneer in allogeneic stem cell transplantation and immunothera-
families in Broward County. pies, having developed a technique to manipulate donor cells to treat those with acute
The Holy Cross Family Health Center will be the preeminent provider of education, myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma . The manipulation of
prevention, early intervention, wrap-a-round social and behavioral health services, donor stem cell products prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation diminishes the
OB/GYN access and treatment of primary care and infectious disease services through often-harmful graft versus host disease complication of transplantation.
innovative approaches in a caring, compassionate environment. “I think one of the most exciting things about the work that all of us who took part
The Holy Cross Family Health Center will offer healthcare services that are an in the Summit of the Americas do is that we are showing that treatments are becoming
essential component of healthcare. Community partners also will provide on-site more sophisticated and more targeted to the individual,” Dr. Koehne said. “This is not
mental health services to patients and families. one size fits all care. Every day we are learning new facts about how to choose and
The grant allows Holy Cross Health to renovate the first floor of the Holy Cross integrate the best medications and treatments for the specific individual. And we are
building at 5601 N. Dixie Highway that will house the Center. Those modifications finding new treatments for those with extremely complicated cases. This improves
will include exam rooms, telehealth consult areas, counseling rooms, group counsel- outcome and gives us hope.”
ing and education rooms, food pantry, clothing closet, storage, restrooms, (shared)
community resource rooms, on-site access to pharmaceutical services and waiting
areas. Palm Health Foundation Grants Funding to Increase
Expected completion of the Holy Cross Family Health Center is in summer of 2022.
Health Equity for Breast and Cervical Cancer Care

Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital Performs Palm Health Foundation, Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health,
has provided a grant to the Promise Fund of Florida to increase access to affordable
First Living Donor Liver Transplant breast and cervical health care services to women in need. The funding will support
the hire of a “provider network recruiter” who will identify new and existing commu-
Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital has performed its first living donor liver trans- nity resources to expand Promise Fund of Florida’s Continuum of Care Model
plant, in which a daughter donated a portion of her liver to her mother who had been throughout Palm Beach County to increase health equity and help reach its goal of
battling complicated liver disease for several years. ensuring all women, regardless of income, receive affordable, timely, high quality,
The donor and recipient surgeries were performed in Weston by a team of surgeons breast and cervical screenings, diagnostics, treatment, and follow up care. Palm
from Cleveland Clinic Weston and Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which has one of the Health Foundation joins Quantum Foundation in jointly funding this new position.
nation’s largest living donor liver transplant programs. The Promise Fund of Florida was co-founded by Nancy G. Brinker, founder of
On May 10, 2021, Cristiano Quintini, M.D., director of Liver Transplantation at Susan G. Komen, Julie Fisher Cummings, and Laurie Silvers, three women who have
Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and Weston Hospital transplant surgeons Samer Ebaid, spent decades working to improve quality of life for men and women of all socioeco-
M.D., Ph.D., and Phoenix Vuong, M.D., removed 60 percent of the right lobe of 38 nomic backgrounds in many different areas of need. They founded the Promise Fund
year-old Heidy Lima’s liver through an abdominal incision. of Florida to fill the gaps in access to healthcare and help those in need in Palm Beach
In an operating room nearby, Koji Hashimoto, M.D., Ph.D., director of Living County to reduce the number of deaths due to late-stage breast and cervical cancer.
Donor Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Antonio Pinna, M.D., direc- Florida ranks last in the United States for the number of women under 65 who have
tor of Cleveland Clinic Weston’s Abdominal Transplant Center, and Weston trans- insurance, magnifying their vulnerability to death from cancer because the lack of
plant surgeon Sidharth Sharma, M.D., successfully transplanted the donated portion insurance delays diagnosis and treatment with catastrophic results.
of Lima’s liver to her mother, 60-year old Iris Blanco. The provider network recruiter will play a critical role in developing partnerships
“The collaboration between our transplant team in Weston and our colleagues in closest to target populations where multiple barriers to care exist, including trans-
Ohio has been exceptional, allowing us to take this step forward and meet a critical portation, language, finding childcare and taking time off from work. The Promise
need for living donor liver transplant services in South Florida, “said Conor Delaney, Fund has mapped imaging and screening facilities in Palm Beach County to identify
M.D., Ph.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida region. “As an integrat- gaps and serve as a blueprint for where the provider network recruiter will create part-
ed healthcare delivery system, we continue to expand our ability to provide multidis- nerships for affordable cancer care services with physicians, clinics, hospitals, and
ciplinary, complex care and improve the quality of life for our patients and their fam- other providers for Promise Fund participants. The goal is to identify a minimum of
ilies.” 15 health care providers to serve 300 or more women.

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22 July 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News