Alton Memorial Hospital has joined the Siteman Cancer Network to improve the health of River Bend residents and neighboring communities through cancer research, treatment and prevention. Membership in the Siteman network strengthens and further expands Alton Memorial’s connection as a member of BJC HealthCare to the nationally renowned cancer center based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Watch a video HERE.
Alton Memorial is the third hospital to join the Siteman network and the first network member in Illinois. Network membership provides more direct access to cancer prevention and control strategies and genomic and genetic testing. Patients also will have streamlined access to highly specialized treatments and technologies, including clinical trials, at Siteman.
“Alton Memorial Hospital is proud to partner with Siteman, a nationally recognized comprehensive cancer center,” said Dave Braasch, president of Alton Memorial Hospital, a member of BJC HealthCare. “This partnership will bring additional resources, including prevention efforts and access to leading-edge, personalized clinical trials, to River Bend residents and the greater Alton community.”
As a network member, Alton Memorial Hospital will work with Siteman Cancer Center to assess cancer’s impact on west central Illinois, and develop a plan to lessen the overall burden and measure results. Possibilities include a greater emphasis on reducing smoking rates and promoting cancer screening and other healthy activities.
Key components of the network affiliation include:
- A patient navigator to coordinate access to highly specialized care, including clinical trials for especially complex cases, at Siteman Cancer Center.
- Use of genomic and genetic testing to help identify more personalized, targeted treatments based on the characteristics of a patient’s disease.
- Sharing of best practices to improve patient care. Examples include how nurses and radiation therapists are trained to care for oncology patients, and implementing industry-approved guidelines for survivorship, screening and genetic counseling programs.
- Implementation of cancer prevention strategies, such as the use of interactive tools, e-books, videos, individual coaching and online cancer risk assessment tools.
- Development of targeted interventions to reduce cancer risk and of evaluation tools to measure success.
The network’s efforts to reduce the cancer burden also are expected to increase the number of people who are screened for cancer, which should result in earlier detection and improved health outcomes.
“Siteman Cancer Center and Alton Memorial Hospital – through the Siteman Cancer Network – are committed to preventing cancer and transforming patient care in the communities we serve,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, director of Siteman Cancer Center and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and Bixby Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Together, we’re working to build a healthier region.”
Alton Memorial Hospital oncologists, who include private-practice physicians and physicians affiliated with BJC Medical Group or Washington University Physicians in Illinois, Inc., will continue to provide cancer care at the facility. Through the Siteman Cancer Network, the physicians and patients of Alton Memorial Hospital will have seamless access to necessary prevention, diagnosis and treatment resources available through Siteman Cancer Center, with coordinated care to ensure a convenient, comfortable experience for the patient.
“Our physicians provide top-level cancer care,” Braasch said. “In becoming a member of the Siteman Cancer Network, we are only adding to the care delivery and treatment options for the residents of the River Bend region.”
Related Information:
Pictured above: Dr. Timothy Eberlein, director of Siteman Cancer Center, speaks during the May 1 announcement that Alton Memorial Hospital has joined the Siteman Cancer Network. Behind Dr. Eberlein are, left to right, AMH President Dave Braasch; Steve Thompson, chairman of the AMH board of directors and emcee of the event; Craig Green, an Alton firefighter who was treated at AMH and Siteman and appears in a video promoting the affiliation; and Dr. Gregory Vlacich, medical director of AMH Radiation Oncology and a Siteman physician.