MDNews - Mid Hudson

COVER FEATURE At White Plains Hospital As Drs. Chin and Weiser note, there were several indicators that an initiative to build a world-class thoracic surgery program at White Plains Hospital would be a success. The hospital's administration has understood and supported the program's needs; the operating room and ICU facilities are well-equipped to handle complex surgical procedures; and the White Plains Hospital nursing staff recently received Magnet-status recogni- tion from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The nursing staff is also fully supported by a structure of Dr. Weiser discusses patient management with colleague Richard Frimer, M.D. Physicians at White Plains Hospital communicate frequently to ensure the best possible patient outcomes. AT SCREENING WHILE THE THORACIC SURGERY PROGRAM at White Plains Hospital is introducing the Westchester community to more advanced surgical interventions, its specialists are also heavily engaged in a screening initiative — the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP), for which White Plains Hospital serves as one of 54 American sites. The international organization shapes its mission around two facts: Approximately 80% of lung cancers detected by conventional imaging is too advanced to be cured by surgery alone; and, in 2011, the National Lung Screening Trial published findings demonstrating that computed tomogra- phy (CT) scans performed in high-risk patient populations can reduce lung cancer-related deaths by 20%. "The goal of the whole process is that by using CT scans, we can see small cancers, cancers that have not spread to other areas of the body, and cancers that can be operated on and cured by surgery," says Cynthia S. Chin, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Director of the Women's Cancer Program Services at White Plains Hospital. "An X-ray is only a two-dimensional view of the body, and we can only see the big cancers with it. At that time, the disease most likely has already spread and can't be operated on, or the patient requires a combina- tion of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation." At White Plains Hospital, patients who are 50 years of age or older and have smoked for more than 20 years can receive free CT scans. I-ELCAP-trained radiologists review their images. Should the scan detect nothing suspicious, Dr. Chin and her colleagues follow the patient with annual CT scans for five years. If the scan does detect an abnor- mality, the thoracic surgery program is ready to provide immediate assistance. 10 | Mid Hudson MD NEWS s MDNEWS.COM ancillary providers, including case managers, physical and respiratory therapists, and social workers. These caregivers not only ensure the surgical expertise of thoracic surgeons is supported in ongoing postoperative therapy, but also allow the nurses to focus solely on patient care. Unlike at some teaching institutions, at White Plains Hospital, the specialist who sees a patient in the office is the specialist who performs the patient's surgery, typically with the assistance of another board-certified surgeon. "Our presence here is to offer patients in the community everything that we offered in the city. We understand there's a lot of stress on the patients and their families when a large operation is involved. It's an emotional process," says Dr. Weiser. "It's often a financial process, too, because people have to take off from work. If patients can be closer to home, families don't have to travel and deal with the issues of getting into the city. The experience becomes easier. That's our goal here." For more information about the thoracic management and surgi- cal services at White Plains Hospital, visit www.wphospital.org. s Drs. Weiser and Chin review preoperative imaging. They have worked closely together for more than a decade, ensuring high- quality thoracic surgical care is readily available to patients of the Westchester community.

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