MDNews - Central New York

Cancer Center formed a partnership that brings Roswell Park services and Roswell Park specialists to local patients — not the other way around. "A number of my family members have received treatment at Roswell Park, and I was always impressed with the way the sta„ treats their patients," says Gene Morreale, President and CEO of Oneida Hea lthca re. "Keeping that in mind, I reached out to them with the hope that we could start a venture that would ben- efit those individuals fighting cancer in our community." A NEW APPROACH In spring 2016, Morrea le spoke with Thomas Schwaab, MD, PhD, Chief of Strateg y, Business Development a nd Outreach at Roswell Park, about a possible joint venture to bring the highest qual- ity cancer care to Oneida. Dr. Schwaab expressed interest and visited Oneida Hea lt hca re to lea r n more about t he organization. During his visit, he was impressed by the consistent devotion to quality exhibited at Oneida Healthcare. "The vision for the collaboration is driven by our similar mindsets regard- i n g qu a l it y a nd approa ch t o c a re," Dr. Schwaab says. " We both want our quality of care to not only be maintained, but also to be improved at all times." Shor t ly a f ter Dr. Schwa ab v isited Oneida Healthcare, work began on the project. The f irst hurdle was f inding funding for the cha nges necessa r y to bring Roswell Park's acclaimed, nation- ally ranked oncology care to Oneida — an estimated $12 million. " We applied for and were awarded a $6.75 million grant from the state of New York to jump-sta r t the prog ra m, a nd we're very thankful for that," Morrea le says. "Our joint fundraising e„orts have raised an additiona l $2.4 million so far, as well." The money w i l l cover renovations, n e w c o n s t r u c t i o n , l e a d i n g - e d g e tech nolog y a nd more. Ex per t s f rom both Oneida Hea lthca re a nd Roswell P a r k c o n t r i b u t e d t o d e s i g n s a n d renovation projects to ma ke sure a l l pla ns met the high qua lit y sta nda rds of both orga nizations. " We h ave a t h ree -ph a se prog ra m pla nned," Wa lz says. " We've a lready completed pha se one, which wa s t he complete renovation of a two-f loor facil- ity that includes an infusion center and telemedicine center, as well as space for Roswell Park physicians and specia lists to see patients diagnosed with ca ncer." Distinguished Cancer Care A S A NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center, Roswell Park is distinguished by a commitment to scientific leadership and research. In order to receive this recognition, Roswell Park must continuously pass rigorous review processes as determined by the NCI. Only 49 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers exist across the nation. In addition, Roswell Park was named one of the best hospitals for cancer treatment by U.S. News and World Report, placing in the top 4 percent of the publication's list for 2017–2018. Debra Walz, AOCNP, WHNP-BC, Cancer Care Director of Nursing at Oneida Healthcare, illustrates the use of cutting-edge technology to better explain a patient's diagnosis. 0 7 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N Y 2 018

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