New UCSF Cancer Care Affiliation with Community Hospital In Monterey
A new collaboration has begun between the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula that will enhance patient care and access to clinical trials.
Peter R. Carroll, MD, MPHThe affiliation builds on the expertise already offered at Community Hospital, recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer, by pairing it with one of the premiere cancer centers in the world. UCSF is ranked first in California and eighth in the nation for its cancer services by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, UCSF ranks seventh nationwide in research grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is home to pioneers in research into genetic, cellular, and immune system causes and responses to cancer.
“Cancer is a complex disease with many variables and this collaboration extends our ability to provide the most comprehensive treatment possible,” said Steven Packer, MD, president and CEO of Community Hospital. “We’re extremely pleased to be able to bring our expertise together with that of UCSF.”
“This affiliation reflects our mission to make UCSF’s high-level health care more broadly available in California,” said Peter R. Carroll, MD, MPH, director of clinical services and strategic planning at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The new affiliation will provide:
- Expanded access to clinical trials. Community Hospital patients already participate in clinical trials overseen by the hospital’s institutional review board. Opportunities will increase significantly because of UCSF’s leadership in research and the number of clinical trials available at UCSF for patients with a variety of malignancies. Such trials often use novel agents for those with rare cancers or cancers resistant to standard treatment regimens.
- Continuing education for doctors, staff, and the public. Community Hospital and UCSF will develop educational sessions on cancer prevention, treatment, and other topics.
- Participation in “tumor boards” made up of experts in a range of disciplines who review cases. Community Hospital may submit cases to UCSF for review and UCSF may take part in Community Hospital’s tumor board conferences.
- Referral to specialists. Community Hospital may refer patients to UCSF for specialized treatment; patients will be provided UCSF’s “concierge” service to facilitate the referral.
“This affiliation enables our expert, multidisciplinary team to engage the specialists at UCSF in a formalized, interactive way,” said Phillip Williams, RN, director of Community Hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This close relationship with a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer program is a significant benefit to our community.”
UCSF is currently affiliated with four other cancer centers: Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Mercy Medical Center in Redding, St. Helena Hospital in St. Helena, and the Renown Institute for Cancer in Reno.
About UCSF
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. For more information, visit www.ucsf.edu.
The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center was designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute in 1999 in recognition of the highest level of excellence in both its scientific research and its ability to integrate diverse research approaches to focus on the problem of cancer and improve patient outcomes.
About Community Hospital
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, established in 1934, is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 205 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through locations including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility, Hospice of the Central Coast and business offices.
Community Hospital has been accredited as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the Commission on Cancer since 1995 and provides a broad array of cancer care including infusion and radiation oncology, and prostate, colon, and breast cancer surgery. The cancer center treats more than 700 newly diagnosed patients each year. Find more information, visit www.chomp.org/.
Released jointly by UCSF and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula