All the cancer services are under one roof

Located on a new 80-acre campus – part of a $400-million investment – the new NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care is transforming cancer treatment in Northeast Arkansas. Not only does the center that opened in January provide NEA Baptist’s first radiation oncology program, medical and radiation oncology have been combined in one facility for the first time in this region.

Brad Parsons, CEO of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, said that by starting from scratch they were able to design cancer care the way it should be done.

“We have all the cancer services you need under one roof in 34,000-square-feet of space,” he said.

This type of facility makes it extremely convenient for patients, said Kevin Collins, MD, a board certified radiation oncologist at the cancer center.

“We have a patient navigator who is able to coordinate the appointments,” Collins said. “A significant number of our patients have to travel from outside of Craighead County. By having a navigator, we are able to coordinate appointments so we can see people in one trip instead of two or three trips.”

The care navigator helps coordinate any additional testing or other doctor appointments that might be needed. Care is taken to reduce patient wait times.

“Our goal is to see people in a very timely fashion,” Collins said. “Many times a patient will get a cancer diagnosis and then there is that black hole of time until they can talk to a doctor about treatment. Our goal is to diminish that time greatly so patients can get the information they need as soon as possible.”

The new cancer center provides treatments that weren’t available at NEA Baptist before such as radiation therapy, and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. These new technologies provide improved accuracy of radiation for tumors, therefore more effective targeting reduces the damage to surrounding tissues. The TrueBeam linear accelerator will provide the majority of the patient treatments and the HDR’s application will be used primarily for gynecological malignancies. But Collins said that would be expanded to other areas as it becomes the standard of care.

The TrueBeam linear accelerator is the newest generation of digital accelerators and capable of doing image guide radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT/SRS), respiratory gating, and other types of treatment. Collins said the TrueBeam is a very efficient machine that ensures exceptionally accurate treatment.

“Because of this technology, we can now shrink treatment to tissue so side effects are minimized,” Collins said.

One of the indicators of quality of any cancer facility is the access patients have to clinical trials.

“The importance of access to clinical trials for cancer research can’t be overstated,” Arnold said. “Not only is the new cancer center providing the care closer to home, but the facility has the latest and greatest technology. Combine that with access to treatments that are not necessarily available outside of a clinical trial setting, and that makes for advanced cancer care. Patients on clinical trials have their charts audited periodically, and that is a quality indicator. Providing access to clinical trials sets the bar higher and higher.”

Lexanne Horton, chief operation officer (COO) of NEA Baptist Clinic, said 38 percent of their patients access research studies as part of their treatment.

“We have an affiliation with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center so we can access studies through Vanderbilt,” Horton said. “Another advantage of our new cancer clinic is we have a pharmacist here who mixes the cancer drugs on site.”

Community response to the new cancer center has been tremendous, including significant financial support for the non-profit foundation that supports the center. Wallace and Jama Fowler donated $5 million to fund patient care support in the center, representing the largest donation ever for the Memphis-based Baptist Foundation. Another $2 million has been donated for other purposes at the cancer clinic including a healing garden that can be seen from treatment areas, and infusion bays that can seat five people in a pod.

Horton said the facility is designed to improve the experience for patients. There is a laboratory at the center so people don’t have to leave the building for lab testing.

“We developed it to have a warm and inviting atmosphere, including a nature theme,” Horton said. “This has really paid off in patient satisfaction where we have seen a 37-point gain. We went from a 42 to a 79 percent approval rating in one quarter. Patients report feeling care is safer, their personal needs are being met better, and care is more private than before.

“We are dealing with patients with potentially terminal illnesses, so we want to do anything we can do to improve their comfort. We did a lot of research on how to make it a better experience. Previously for chemotherapy we had just a big open room with chairs. Now we have pods with five chairs surrounded by curtains. Patients can leave curtains open if they feel like visiting or they can pull the curtain shut if they want privacy or are not feeling well. We selected five because the consultant said if two chairs are together, people feel obligated to visit. If there are five, one person won’t feel bad reading a book, or using their cell phone or iPad.”

The infusion suite is spacious allowing for family members to remain with patients. For patients needing privacy, there are two quiet rooms available.

Having both an onsite lab, as well as a pharmacist onsite greatly reduces patient wait times for chemotherapy.

“That is a tremendous benefit to patients,” Horton said. “They aren’t waiting hours to get started.”

Horton said they are more than willing to work with patients throughout the state. Sometimes patients will need to go elsewhere for their surgery, but the NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care can provide additional needed care.

“If we can prevent travel for care, and patients can be treated closer to home, their outcomes are better,” Horton said. “If a patient has moved here and needs follow-up care, they may no longer have to travel to see an oncologist. It is important for other physicians to know we have these services.”

The cancer center has also expanded supportive cancer services.

“Once treatment is done, they don’t just leave and get sent out into the wilderness alone,” Arnold said. “Hope Circle provides support for patients and families. It focuses on things like quality of life once treatments are done.”

For more information visit www.neabaptistclinic.com/cancercenter