Agency launches provocative ad campaign for cervical screening program

The BC Cancer Agency, with support from the BC Centre for Disease Control, launched a new, provocative ad campaign last month to encourage young women in their 20’s to get regular Pap tests.

The ads feature a line-drawn graphic of a woman’s body with a message strategically placed in the area where cervical cancer occurs. The straight-forward message is, “A clinical exam here may feel awkward. But imagine how awkward it would be getting cervical cancer.”

The new campaign builds on the success of an ad campaign that ran last February targeting young women aged 20-29 – a group whose participation in cervical cancer screening has declined over the past several years.

For the full story, please visit: www.bccancer.bc.ca/ABCCA/NewsCentre/2008/ccsp.htm

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
Sustain and advance our system of cancer control.

Study links environmental contaminants with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

 A study by BC Cancer Agency scientists provides new evidence that environmental contaminants – organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The study, the largest of its kind to date was published in the January International Journal of Cancer.

“We know that the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been steadily rising for the past 30 years worldwide, but there hasn’t been clear evidence to explain the increase,” says Dr. John Spinelli, lead author and a senior scientist at the BC Cancer Agency. “Our study helps to provide answers to this puzzle by showing a strong link between these specific environmental contaminants and this particular type of cancer.”

For the full story, please visit:
www.bccancer.bc.ca/ABCCA/NewsCentre/NewsArchive/
2007/organochlorine.htm

Advancing Strategic Direction #2
Establish the knowledge generation and application model within the provincial cancer control platform.

President's message: Accreditation 2009 takes a fresh approach

The BC Cancer Agency is frequently cited as a leader in cancer care and control, not only in Canada, but globally. Such recognition requires an ongoing commitment to ensure we provide the highest level of service to achieve the outcomes in our mission, strategic directions and goals. Inherent in obtaining optimal results is the ability to offer high quality, safe care. Our ability to demonstrate and document this to our patients, health care providers and funders is through the process of accreditation.

We are now beginning to prepare for our accreditation review next year. The Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) has revised the process with an emphasis on increased interaction with healthcare providers. The new program is called QMentum (Quality + Momentum). Surveyors will work closely with Agency teams over the next year to address critical areas and help the organization develop an action plan for improvement. The CCHSA will also regularly monitor our progress as we make improvements, rather than waiting until the next accreditation cycle. 

Surveyors will look at what we do in eight quality dimensions:

• Population Focus: working with communities to anticipate and meet needs
• Accessibility: providing timely and equitable services
• Safety: providing a safe environment for patients and staff
• Worklife: supporting wellness in the workplace
• Client-centred Services: placing patients and families first
• Continuity of Services: coordinated and seamless services for patients
• Effectiveness: activities to achieve the best possible results
• Efficiency: making the best use of resources

This is an opportunity for Agency staff to be more involved in accreditation. In the coming months, many of you will be asked to participate through an on-line questionnaire. The results, in addition to organizational data, will form a customized survey plan for the Agency.

I encourage all staff who are asked to participate to take the time to provide your feedback on what we’re doing right, and where we might make improvements. This is a great opportunity for us as an organization to receive valuable input from many staff throughout the organization, and to continuously improve what we do.

In the coming months, you will hear more about accreditation, here in the Link and via e-mails. We are fortunate to have Rosmin Esmail, the Agency’s director of Quality, Safety, and Risk Management, guiding us through the process. For more information about Rosmin, please see the article about quality in the November 2007 issue of the Link. You can also reach Rosmin at resmail@bccancer.bc.ca or at 604.877.6198.

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
Sustain and advance our system of cancer control. 

Agency buildings to be smoke-free

As of March 1, 2008, the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Centre, Research Centre, and Vancouver Island Centre (in conjunction with VIHA) will be designated smoke-free in order to provide a healthier environment for our employees, patients, and visitors. Smoking will be prohibited in the buildings, grounds and parking areas.

The province’s four other regional health authorities will be following suit by designating their corporate and health facilities smoke-free in the coming year. That means that our centres in Kelowna and Surrey will also soon be smoke-free. More information will be provided to the regions as we receive details about the implementation schedules of the health authorities in which they operate.

“As a cancer agency, it is essential that we take a leading role in protecting anyone who comes to our sites from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke,” says Dr. Carla Simon, Chair of the BC Cancer Agency Smoke-Free Task Force. Tobacco-related illnesses are the leading cause of preventable death in B.C. resulting in about 6,000 deaths each year, including more than 100 non-smokers.

A Provincial Health Services Association (PHSA) employee survey in early 2006 found that an overwhelming number of staff support smoke-free initiatives, including designating buildings and grounds smoke-free. Ninety-two percent of the 3,100 employees who responded said they support implementing a smoke-free policy at their facility.

Over the past year the Agency Task-force – with representation from the Agency and Research Centre – has been working with the PHSA to ensure that supports are in place for staff and patients who wish to quit.

Supporting employees

The PHSA is now covering the cost of nicotine replacement therapy (NRTs such as nicotine patches, gum, inhalers and medications such as Zyban and Champix) as part of extended health benefits. You can claim up to $300 for NRTs. All employees who normally qualify for benefits will be eligible. For more information, please call the Human Resources benefit line at 604.875.7205 or e-mail benefits@phsa.ca Additional quit tips are available on the Smoke-Free page on the PHSA portal.

Supporting patients

Clinical Tobacco Intervention is being offered to staff, with coverage for those taking time off work to take courses. This will help staff initiate conversations with patients who smoke and offer up resources for reducing or quitting smoking. For a list of upcoming sessions, go to the PHSA Education On-line Calendar from the course catalogue, click on PHSA corporate and then PHSA Smoke Free Education.

Upon booking new appointments, staff will inform all patients that the premises and grounds are smoke-free. The Task Force is exploring the possibility that the implementation may be delayed on compassionate grounds for some palliative care in-patients who may be nearing end of life.

If you have general questions or comments about this initiative, please e-mail smokefree@phsa.ca

BC Cancer Foundation staffer signs up for Lung Health Study

When BC Cancer Foundation sponsorship director Judy McLarty heard about the BC Cancer Agency's Lung Health Study, she decided to finally quit smoking. “I don’t feel comfortable, as an active member of the BC Cancer Agency family, being a smoker,” she says. Judy has smoked for more than 30 years and has tried to quit several times, cold turkey, using the patch and with the help of hypnosis. She read about the Lung Health Study in the Foundation’s e-newsletter CancerWise and heard the Foundation’s media announcement of the $2 million gift from MDS Inc and Dr. Don Rix for Dr. Stephen Lam’s research studies in early detection of lung cancer.

“Hearing from the gentleman at the media event who volunteered for the study, and was screened and treated successfully for early-stage lung cancer, was what really made me decide to sign up,” she explains.

“I trust the BC Cancer Agency completely,” Judy adds, “so I know I’m in good hands. This is leading-edge research and I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of it. Obviously I hope they don’t find a tumour, but no matter what happens, I’m personally contributing to research into a cancer that has a very high mortality rate, and that makes me feel like a real member of the team.”

If you are a current or former smoker interested in participating, call the Lung Health Study staff at 1-888-675-8001, local 8088 for more information.

Have you completed our e-newsletter survey?

Just click on the link below (the short survey takes about two minutes) http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ti2R10TM49GCXaW7GwSgcQ_3d_3d

WEBC funds directed to clinical research at regional cancer centres

Did you know that $640,000 from Weekend to End Breast Cancer proceeds has been designated to the four BC Cancer Agency regional centres to fund clinical or clinically-treated research in breast cancer over the next two years? Look for more details in the March Link!

You can contribute to the vital research being conducted by your Agency colleagues. Join Team BC Cancer in walking 60 km in the fifth annual Weekend to End Breast Cancer on Sept. 5 – 7, 2008, or sign up to crew.

Register now: www.endcancer.ca or call 604.684.9255.

Advancing Strategic Direction #4
Ensure we have the resources to achieve maximal organizational effectiveness.

Giving bad bugs the boot

Health Canada reports that hospital infections kill about 8,500 Canadians a year. By comparison, that’s almost as many British Columbians who die from all types of cancer each year, and the problem will continue to grow according to many infection control experts. Most agree that hospitals can benefit from putting simple measures in place, such as making gel hand washing dispensers readily available and monitoring infection numbers, which can be the first sign there is a problem.

The BC Cancer Agency is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for patients, staff and visitors, and a key priority of the PHSA and Agency is to improve infection control practices. Ana Fisic and Alison Chant are long-time nurses working at BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Centre who will be leading infection control initiatives to ensure we meet or exceed national standards.

Ana worked as a nurse in the out-patient chemotherapy area, while Alison was most recently a clinical nurse leader. Rounding out the team is Dr. Ghada Al-Rawahi, a medical microbiologist and infection control officer for the BC Cancer Agency and BC Children's and Women's Health Centre. Ghada’s interests are in community-associated MRSA, health-care associated infections, and emerging pathogens.

Ana and Alison’s first task is to establish an inpatient surveillance program to monitor infections at each of the Agency’s regional centres. “The starting point in any infection control program is to track the numbers,” says Ana. “Through the data you obtain, you can track trends, know what is normal for a facility from year to year, and what might be a potential problem.”

Another priority is to update the Agency’s Infection Control policies, with consideration for the Agency’s unique workplace environment. “One program doesn’t fit all health care environments,” says Ana. “We need to establish guidelines that improve safety and health, but that are also workable for staff here at the Agency.” Ana and Alison have been visiting regional centres to gather input from leadership about gaps in current practice, with the goal of developing Agency-specific policies.

“Having clearly written, updated policies in place about infection control will make staff more confident when they are dealing with an issue,” says Alison, “But, we’re always available at the other end of the phone, if staff have a question or concern.”

Ana and Alison are based out of the Vancouver Centre, and can be reached at afisic@bccancer.bc.ca and achant@bccancer.bc.ca. Ghada also has an office in Vancouver and can be reached at Ghada.Al-Rawahi@cw.bc.ca

Advancing Strategic Direction #3
Support the regional centres, regions, and communities with the implementation of provincial cancer control programs and integration of knowledge.

Marilyn Paradis, multi-tasker extraordinnaire, says goodbye

There’s a quiet confidence Marilyn Paradis brought to the job that is missed by her colleagues, particularly Dr. Frances Wong, chief physician at the Fraser Valley Centre. Marilyn and Frances were a team for a dozen years, since the centre opened in 1995.

“I miss Marilyn dearly,” says Frances. “She was essential in helping me do my job well. She foresaw my needs and made all necessary preparations before I even said a thing. She had the amazing ability to negotiate people’s busy schedules and book meetings that at the outset looked impossible.”

Marilyn retired at the end of December 2007 after working with the BC Cancer Agency for more than 30 years. She began her career in Health Records at the Vancouver Centre, after working at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto as a lab secretary.

She recalls handing in her application and resume and being called back on the spot. “They tested me, and very next day I had a casual position, and two weeks later a permanent job,” says Marilyn. “That would never happen now.”

She later moved on to become the Clinical Trials Coordinator for Radiation Oncology and when the Fraser Valley Centre opened, she jumped at the chance to work as a secretary in radiation oncology, and walking rather than driving to work.

While it was a hectic 12 years – juggling the schedules of three very busy doctors – Marilyn enjoyed the relationships she developed at the Agency. “I count many people at the Agency as my friends,” says Marilyn. “Some friendships go back 20 and 25 years.”

She also enjoyed working with staff from throughout the Agency. “I’ve had good working relationships with people,” say Marilyn. “I’ve found that’s important because whenever you call someone up they’re there to go the extra mile for you.”

Retirement will bring a slower pace of life for Marilyn. “It’s just going to be wonderful doing one thing at a time,” says the efficient multi-tasker.

Opening of the Agency’s Abbotsford Centre: What does it mean to you?

The BC Cancer Agency’s Abbotsford Centre officially opens in seven months. The Agency’s fifth centre will be a hub in providing cancer treatment, care, and services to the residents of the eastern Fraser Valley. The opening of the new centre is a point of pride for all of us, whether we work in Victoria, Surrey, Kelowna, or Vancouver.

The addition of a new facility will further advance the Agency’s strategic directions by providing greater opportunities for clinical research, provide care for patients closer to home, and support care providers in the community.

What we really wanted to know was what did the opening of the Abbotsford facility mean to staff, patients and volunteers. So, we asked six individuals to tell us, and their responses form a poster campaign that you’ll be seeing in your regional centres over the next few months.

For Debbie Opitz, clinical trials nurse at the Centre for the Southern Interior, “The opening of the Abbotsford Centre provides expanded opportunities for research including Clinical Trials research that will benefit the entire population of this province.”

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to tell us what the opening of the Abbotsford Centre means to you, and we’ll print some of your responses in a future issue of the Link. Please send an e-mail to prehncy@bccancer.bc.ca

Advancing Strategic Direction #3
Support the regional centres, regions and communities with the implementation of provincial cancer control programs and integration of knowledge.

Meet the rest of the Abbotsford Centre's Physics team

In the winter issue, we brought you profiles of medical physicists Joseph Awotwi-Pratt, Genoveva Badragan, Robert Hagg, Steven Thomas, and Bilal Shaine. In this issue we introduce the rest of the medical physicists who form the core team to commission the equipment at the new Abbotsford Centre: Glenn Anderson, Robert Corns, Kirpal Kohli, Stan Szpala.

The team has already spent the last few weeks working together on acceptance testing – putting the machines through basic paces to ensure they are functioning properly. The next step is commissioning – performing the necessary tests and adjustments to ensure the equipment is working to precise specifications.

The team has already logged long hours at the Abbotsford Centre in anticipation of the Summer 2008 opening, a mere seven months away.

Glenn Anderson

Glenn smiles when he’s compared to the Maytag repairman on the television commercials, who’s lonely because Maytag machines are so reliable they rarely need to be serviced.

“The equipment we’re maintaining is a little more complicated than a washing machine,” says Glenn. “There are literally thousands of parts that keep a linear accelerator running.”

But he concedes that if routine maintenance is conducted that the surprise “service” calls will be rare. “My job is to ensure that the machines are running efficiently, because if there’s downtime that means that patient care may be affected.” To that end, each linear accelerator is taken out of rotation one day a month for preventative maintenance.

Glenn is also responsible for an inventory of hundreds of machine parts kept in a machine shop at the Abbotsford Centre. “You need to keep an inventory of basic parts, because the best thing is to fix problems as soon as they occur. You can’t wait to have parts shipped to you from around the world.”

Glenn joined the Agency in 2004, from the Fraser Health Authority where he was responsible for maintaining and repairing medical equipment in the coronary care unit, diagnostic cardiology, neurology and the surgical suite.

Bio bite: Glenn was born and raised in Langley, B.C. He received a diploma in biomedical electronics technology from BCIT.

Robert Corns

You could consider Robert the “old-timer” of the team. He was hired in 2004 at the Fraser Valley Centre, so he’s seen the team assembled for Abbotsford from the ground-up.

As the dedicated Radiation Safety Officer on the team, Robert is responsible for testing and retesting equipment to ensure the eight feet thick concrete walls encasing the rooms where the linear accelerators are housed are strong enough to contain radiation generated from the machines. “With the newer machines you can move the treatment heads around 360 degrees, so you have to be certain that no matter what angle the machine is positioned, the wall casing is strong enough to shield the radiation.”

Trying to get four linear accelerators, two CT scanners and numerous other pieces of equipment up and running has provided a unique opportunity and a challenge. “At this stage, we’re able to do research on radiation therapy dose delivery that we might not be able to otherwise. Once machines ‘go clinical’ it’s difficult to book time, and you may need to work after hours to collect the data you
need. Bio bite: Robert is originally from Manitoba. He received his PhD from the University of Manitoba. He joined the Agency in 2004 from McGill University Health Centre.
And,
sometimes
it can be impossible getting the data because you need to leave the equipment set-up over a long period of time. When machines are in clinical use, you just don’t have that luxury.”

 “But it’s also challenging because it’s a slow and laborious process because there’s a lot of cross over of information from one machine to another, and often you can’t proceed with commissioning one piece of equipment because you’re waiting for data from another.”

Kirpal Kohli

Kirpal is a very calm guy, but perhaps that’s because he’s gone through the paces of opening a brand new cancer facility before. He was part of the medical physics team which commissioned radiation therapy equipment at the Peel Regional Cancer Centre Mississauga, Ontario, in 2004.

“The pace is definitely going to pick up when we begin commissioning – because it is a complex process with multiple tasks that need to be repeated often many times for verification – but we’ve got a great team for the job,” says Kirpal.

Kirpal moved to B.C. from Ontario last November because he was impressed with the Agency’s support of translational research. He is eager to continue his research measuring dose delivery while a patient is receiving radiation therapy. “That way you can monitor the dose the patient is receiving as you go along, and ensure the maximum dose is being delivered to the treatment area for the best therapeutic effect,” says Kirpal.

Kirpal lives in Surrey, with his wife, who was raised in B.C., and their two children ages eight and five.

Bio bite: Kirpal completed a fellowship at the Princess Margaret Hospital, where he developed a multi-modular IMRT phantom which is currently being used for routine quality assurance testing. He is certified by American Board of Radiology to practice Therapeutic Radiological Physics.

Stan Szpala

Stan joined the Agency in April of last year from the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, where he was completing his medical residency. When he cast about looking for a more permanent position, he saw the career posting for a medical physicist at the BC Cancer Agency.

 “It was a great opportunity to grow professionally,” says Stan, “But, I also knew it would be a great place to live, having lived in Washington State for two years while working at Washington State University.”

The experience, both professionally and personally, has been even better than Stan expected. “This is about as good as it gets,” says Stan. “We have a great collection of people who have worked successfully throughout the world, and individually they have a lot of experience to bring to the team.”

Bio bite: Stan received his PhD in physics from City University of New York. While working as a postdoctoral research fellow at Robarts Research Institute in London, Ontario, he developed an image-guided system for robotic cardiac surgery.

Newsmakers

Mario de Lemos (Provincial Pharmacy) and Dennis Jang (VC Pharmacy) were bestowed the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) New Programs in Patient Counselling Award for developing a counselling session for patients interested in natural health products. This award recognizes contributions of pharmacists in counselling patients, and conducting research which contributes to the improvement of patient counselling. As part of this award, Dennis will give the winning presentation, Impact on Patient Satisfaction with a Structured Approach on Natural Health Products at the 39th Annual Professional Practice Conference in Toronto.

Fred Crawford, clinical counsellor, BC Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre, has received a $10,000 grant from the BC Foundation for Prostate Disease for a research study to explore what helps men, and what doesn’t during their cancer treatment. Fred will interview about 20 men, who have completed cancer treatment in the past five years, and who are now  cancer-free. The study is called, Helping and Hindering Experiences of Men Undergoing Treatment for Prostate Cancer: A Critical Incident Study. Fred will submit the research for his PhD dissertation in Clinical Psychology from UBC.

Do you know of a BC Cancer Agency Newsmaker? e-mail prehncy@bccancer.bc.ca

Saying goodbye to a friend

David Noble was head of the BC Cancer Agency’s library for more than 30 years, first in the A. Maxwell Evans clinic and then in the building at 600 W. 10th and finally on contract after officially retiring. Sadly, David passed away this January. From humble beginnings in the house that was the first cancer clinic, he built a library, a collection, and a service that has been a model for cancer centres across Canada.

David was an advocate of researchers and clinicians. He was always seeking out information of relevance and forwarding it to the right person, often at just the right moment. David’s era spanned the paper-based world to the world-wide web.

He passionately believed that mediated cancer information was an integral part of the patient’s treatment and their experience. He created a Cancer Information Database which was the predecessor to the Canadian Cancer Society information service.

We will miss David’s kind and gentle manner, the way he listened so completely to what you were saying, and valued your input.

Submitted by Beth Morrison

Editor's Note: A celebration of David’s life was held at the BC Cancer Agency on January 24.