Archive for the ‘John B. Amos Cancer Center’ Category

Larry Sanders (Columbus Regional Chairman and CEO), Susan McRae (Radiology Supervisor, Radiology, Doctors Hospital), Beth Bussey (Clinical Nutrition Specialist, Oncology Outreach, John B. Amos Cancer Center), Patricia Alexander (Registrar, Admissions/Registration, Hughston Hospital), Carolyn Chaney (Clinical Coordinator, 7 Main, The Medical Center) and Bobbie Newsome (Pharmacy Technician Senior, Outpatient Pharmacy, The Medical Center).

The announcement of five Columbus Regional Healthcare recipients of the Chairman’s Award of Excellence highlighted an event-filled Employee Appreciation Week last month.

The employees were selected from the monthly “I Make the Difference!” honorees from May 2009–April 2010 for exemplary performance and exceptional customer service.

The recognition luncheon on May 13 at the Columbus Regional Conference Center at The Medical Center was attended by the past year’s honorees along with alumni of the distinguished employee award.

Larry Sanders, chairman and CEO of Columbus Regional, presented the five honorees with a framed resolution from the Columbus Regional board of directors, a heart-shaped Frabel glass sculpture, and a check for $1,000.

A full-page ad ran in the Sunday, May 16 issue of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that recognized the award recipients and honorees from the past year.

The guest speaker for the luncheon was comedian Kent Rader.

About the 2010 Chairman’s Award of Excellence Recipients

• Patricia Alexander (Registrar, Admissions/Registration, Hughston Hospital): Patricia’s face is one of the many stellar images of Hughston Hospital, and her style and grace epitomize all that it represents. She quickly puts patients and family members at ease and reassures them they are in a special place. Her friendliness is contagious, and she is a wonderful ambassador for the hospital.

• Beth Bussey (Clinical Nutrition Specialist, Oncology Outreach, John B. Amos Cancer Center): Beth has an incredible passion for the work that she does. She is an outstanding practitioner who is dedicated to the success and development of all employees. Her energy, creativity, commitment and desire for quality of care and life for her patients are endless.

• Carolyn Chaney (Clinical Coordinator, 7 Main, The Medical Center): Carolyn has mentored and guided multiple generations of new graduate nurses to become excellent nurses. She is sought for her clinical knowledge, expertise and guidance by physicians, co-workers and students. She makes all patients feel secure because of the confidence and competence she exudes.

• Susan McRae (Radiology Supervisor, Radiology, Doctors Hospital): Susan epitomizes commitment, service and loyalty to Doctors Hospital. She is a faithful and dedicated employee who serves the organization in any capacity possible to make it a better place. She delivers personal care, comfort and reassurance to her patients and their family members as if they were her own family.

• Bobbie Newsome (Pharmacy Technician Senior, Outpatient Pharmacy, The Medical Center): Bobbie is humble, honest and sincere and not only accomplishes what is required, but also always goes the extra mile. Her broad knowledge of all areas of the Pharmacy has made her the “right hand” to pharmacists and managers. Bobbie is that very special employee you can trust and depend upon.

At the April 16 check presentation at Cooper Creek were, from left, Larry Sanders (Columbus Regional chairman and CEO), Dr. Andrew Pippas (medical director of the John B. Amos Cancer Center), Helen Johnson (group vice president of Community Development, Columbus Bank and Trust Company), and Tom Titus (Columbus Regional senior vice president). In the background is Henry Swift (Steering and Tennis Committees member and chair of External Sales).

The Columbus Regional Medical Foundation’s 2010 Celebrity Classic raised a record-breaking $315,000 this year.

This tremendous outpouring of community support benefits the John B. Amos Cancer Center.

The Celebrity Classic featured cycling, tennis,  golf and running events during the weekend of April 16–19, as well as biking events on May 2.

Supported once again by a dedicated group of corporate sponsors, individual donors and volunteers, this year’s classic included:

• 150 tennis players
• 700 runners
• 250 golfers representing a long list of sponsors
• 168 cyclists

Synovus Financial Corp. was the Celebrity Classic’s presenting sponsor.

The Events

• Tennis: An adult tennis clinic and tournament was held at Cooper Creek Park on Friday, May 16, and a junior tennis clinic was held on Saturday, May 17. Peter Burwash International supplied tennis pros from all over the world.

• Running: A 5K/10K run was held at the National Infantry Museum on Saturday, May 17.

• Golf: A junior golf clinic was held at Godwin Creek Golf Course on Sunday, May 18, and a golf tournament was held at Green Island Country Clubon Monday, May 19.

• Cycling: The Wheels to Heal biking event was held on Sunday, May 2.

This year, former Wimbledon champion Stan Smith was featured at the tennis event, and golf trick shot artist Kevin Compare—also known as Divot the Clown—was featured at the golf tournament and junior golf clinic.

The Medical Center Auxiliary recently celebrated its 47th birthday by giving $133,000 of financial gifts to several groups during birthday celebrations at the Columbus Regional Conference Center at The Medical Center earlier this month.

Ruby Jackson presents Lance Duke with a birthday box filled with the names of those receiving financial gifts from the Auxiliary.

Auxiliary President Ruby Jackson made check presentations to Lance Duke, The Medical Center president and CEO, who received the gifts on behalf of the:

• Bunch McClellan Nursing Scholarship
• Children’s Miracle Network at The Medical Center
• John B. Amos Cancer Center
• Mary Ann Pease Healthcare Scholarship Fund
• The Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Over the past 47 years, The Medical Center Auxiliary’s financial contributions—which benefit the Columbus, GA community—have exceeded $4.4 million through various fundraising efforts.

The John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus, Georgia has been granted three-year accreditation with commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS).

Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those cancer facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.

To maintain accreditation, facilities with CoC-accredited cancer programs must undergo an on-site review every three years.

The Cancer Center received the accreditation following the on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor of the full scope of the cancer program, including:

• Cancer Committee Leadership
• Cancer Data Management
• Clinical Services
• Community Outreach
• Quality Improvement
• Research

Quick Facts About Cancer

• The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.4 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2009.

• There are currently more than 1,400 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals.

• Of those hospitals, 25 percent of hospitals diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.

Dr. Andrew W. Pippas is the medical director and director of Clinical Oncology Research at the John B. Amos Cancer Center.

Congratulations to Andrew W. Pippas, M.D., medical director and director of Clinical Oncology Research at the John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus, Georgia, who was recently named a Distinguished Cancer Scholar by the Georgia Cancer Coalition.

The honor comes with a $500,000 grant to support clinical research efforts at the John B. Amos Cancer Center.

The research dollars will be used to enhance the existing clinical trials program, with an emphasis on gastrointestinal malignancies.

Currently, there are approximately 48 open clinical trials at the John B. Amos Cancer Center, in areas including:

• Brain Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer
• Head/Neck Cancer
• Leukemia
• Lung Cancer
• Lymphoma
• Melanoma
• Ovarian Cancer
• Prostate Cancer

Funds also will be used to expand the multidisciplinary programs that enable patients to see all their physicians and clinical teams during one visit in one location, rather than multiple visits to multiple locations.

Quick Facts About Dr. Andrew Pippas

• Earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.

• Completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

• Is a board-certified medical oncologist.

• Is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NiH) Physician Scientist Award.

• Is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.

Kevin Sass (SEO of Doctors Hospital), Denise Dowdy (community manager of ACS), Georgette Porter (state president of the American Cancer Society) Dr. Andrew Pippas (medical director the John B. Amos Cancer Center), Dr. Douglas Ciuba (medical director of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Center) and Matt Sherer (administrative director of the Cancer Center).

The American Cancer Society recently bestowed its Visionary Award to the John B. Amos Cancer Center for its sponsorship of fundraising and awareness events, including:

• Crystal Ball (presenting sponsor)
• Golf Tournament (bronze sponsor)
• Relay for Life (bronze sponsor)

On January 13, American Cancer Society State President Georgette Porter presented the award to Medical Director Dr. Andrew Pippas, who accepted it on the behalf of the John B. Amos Cancer Center.

Kenneth Smith, M.D., FACS, medical director of Breast Surgery at the John B. Amos Cancer Center, has been named a cancer liaison physician to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CofC) for a three-year term.

Dr. Smith is among a national network of more than 1,600 volunteer physicians that are responsible for providing leadership and direction to establish, maintain and support their facilities’ cancer programs.

The John B. Amos Cancer Center is one of more than 1,400 CofC-accredited cancer programs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Approximately 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients are treated in these institutions.

More than 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the American College of Surgeons. The commission’s goal is to improve the quality of life and survival rate for those cancer patients.

Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

The Medical Center Inc. recently received accreditation from The Joint Commission, based on the accrediting organization’s preliminary Summary of Survey Findings Report.

The Medical Center, Inc. includes:

• The Medical Center
• Columbus Regional Wound Center
• Columbus Regional Breast Care Center
• John B. Amos Cancer Center
• Outpatient Clinics

The final accreditation decision will be made after the TJC receives and approves The Medical Center Inc.’s Evidence of Standards Compliance submission.

What TJC Accreditation Means to Columbus Healthcare Patients

The Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

According to Dr. Andy Morley, Columbus Regional senior vice president and Chief Medical Officer, the success of the TJC’s survey solidifies The Medical Center’s goal of being in a state of constant readiness for anyone to come into our facilities at any time to see the excellence of patient care delivered by our staff.

The Radiation Oncology Clinic at the John B. Amos Cancer Center has been awarded a full three-year accreditation by the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO).

The objective of the accreditation review is to ascertain that the equipment, staff, policies, procedures and treatment programs of the radiation oncology practice meet accepted standards of modern day radiation therapy delivered in the United States.

“This is recognition that we are providing the best care possible in this region,” said Matt Sherer, administrator of the John B. Amos Cancer Center. “This demonstrates that our department meets the highest standards set for Radiation Oncology.

“It is a testament to our physicists, nurses, dosimetrists, radiation therapists and physicians as to the high-quality patient care that they provide each and every day to our patients.”

Click the image to take a 360º virtual tour of the GE Discovery STE.

The Medical Center has acquired a next-generation PET/CT scanner that helps doctors detect disease in its early stages and monitors the progress of patients’ treatment.

The GE Discovery STE scanner combines two kinds of imaging to give doctors complete information about the patient’s condition in a single exam that usually takes less than one hour. Previously, doctors had to put patients through two separate scans to get similar information.

The scanner has advanced applications in oncology, neurology and cardiology, combining computed tomography (CT), which provides highly detailed pictures of the patient’s anatomy, with positron emission tomography (PET), which gives a map showing normal and abnormal sites of cell function.

Advantages of this advanced technology also include:

• Determining more accurately the true extent of cancer spread and finding where the cancer started, so proper treatment can be given. This is crucially important.

• Determining whether a treatment is working or needs to be changed, even before all the treatments have been given.

• Laser-guided positioning, which allows accurate information regarding tumor extent to be sent from the PET/CT suite to the John B. Amos Cancer Center for radiation therapy.

• More accurate diagnosis and treatment guidance for coronary artery disease and brain disorders.

“The PET/CT images show both what an organ looks like and how it is working, making it the best imaging tool for cancer detection,” said Dr. Glen Vahjen, medical director of Imaging Services and director of PET/CT at The Medical Center.

“The older method of finding cancer by CT scan alone is not as accurate. Structures can look normal on CT alone, but can show evidence of cancer on PET scan. Also, treated tumors can appear to be still active on CT scan but can be shown to be cancer free on PET scan.”

“Our in-house PET/CT scanner has expanded service from two days per week to full coverage, and has eliminated the patient inconveniences associated with an “outdoor” PET/CT mobile truck,” said Dr. Vahjen. “The new scanner helps us to provide a higher level of cancer detection and care for the residents of the Columbus, GA community.”