The Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Scott, Sherwood, and Brindley Foundation and the Scott and White Clinic provide comprehensive, high quality health care for a 49 county area in Central Texas. Since the early 1900s, the Scott and White institution has demonstrated leadership in providing innovative cancer care emphasized by medical education and research. Continuing with this tradition of quality care for the community, Scott and White is pursuing NIH funding of the Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) to support these objectives. The proposed CCOP consists of the hospital and clinical components at Scott and White, as well as, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System as an affiliate. The proposed research bases will include the Southwest Oncology Group, the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, and the Gynecologic Oncology Group. The components and the affiliate will continue to work together in promoting innovative cooperative group studies in the community and contributing to quality research through refinement of processes to identify patients for protocol enrollment. The objectives for this project will be to further support the commitment to delivering research options to the community that include cancer control, prevention, and treatment studies. Additionally, CCOP will build on existing strategies to recruit minority participants onto NCI-sponsored protocols by establishing relationships with ethic community leaders; through outreach activities aimed at education; and by providing access to services in underserved areas. The disease-specific committees, which were develop to expedite patient discussion and treatment plan decisions, will be enhanced with increasing involvement from multi-disciplines and with a patient centered approach to treatment Community-based involvement will be strengthened by increasing participation in cancer-related organizations that support the goal of eradicating life-threatening cancers through education, research, and providing access for underserved areas. A consistent growth in the Central Texas area, increased health plan participation, and the expansion of outreach clinics has placed an increasing demand for cancer services at Scott and White. As a result, the Scott and White CCOP is optimistic that the increasing number of opportunities to accrue patients onto research protocols will continue. Funding by the NIH for the CCOP will enable Scott and White to continue as the recognized leader in cancer research and treatment for the Central Texas community it serves.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 97 publications
