Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre officially opens

It’s official! On September 9th, Premier Gordon Campbell and Health Services Minister George Abbott opened the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.

More than 300 invited guests gathered in the hospital’s atrium for speeches and the unveiling of a plaque by the Honourable Gordon Campbell and one of the first patients to be treated at the BC Cancer Agency’s Abbotsford Centre, Sandra Parson.

“It was so wonderful celebrating this momentous milestone with the Premier, the Minister of Health and our Agency colleagues from throughout the province,” said Mary Flaherty, Interim Director of Operations for the Fraser Valley and Abbotsford Centres.

The hospital opened its doors to patients on August 24 and the cancer centre began treating patients on August 25. The Abbotsford Centre is the first cancer centre in Western Canada to be integrated into a hospital from the ground up.

The Abbotsford Centre is an integral part of the agency’s provincial cancer control system, providing care and research for the people of B.C. The new cancer centre will improve access to care for people with cancer in the Fraser Valley and treat up to 2,500 patients a year.

Sandra Parson began her initial treatment at the Fraser Valley Centre and was transferred to the Abbotsford Centre when it opened August 25. “I told the booking clerk she had made me the happiest woman in the world. Imagine how I felt with only a seven minute drive to the new centre as opposed to the 45 minute drive to the BC Cancer Agency in Surrey.”

“The centre is so bright and open and the staff are so compassionate about the patients and what they do. They made me feel so safe and in such good hands. I knew I could get through all of my 28 radiation treatments being surrounded by all this.”

The Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre is a public-private partnership involving the Ministry of Health Services, Fraser Health, Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Cancer Agency, Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District, Partnerships BC and Access Health Abbotsford Ltd.

For a full copy of the press release, please visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/health/index.html   

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
Sustain and advance the BC Cancer Agency's system of cancer control.

Accreditation Update

The BC Cancer Agency is the second PHSA agency – Children’s and Women’s Hospital was the first – to seek accreditation through Accreditation Canada’s revised QMentum program. QMentum (Quality + Momentum) includes additional standards for measuring quality; streamlining and making the process more flexible; and a greater focus on providing safe quality care.

BC Cancer Agency staff have completed Accreditation Canada’s self-assessment questionnaires (SAQs), which address 31 Required Organizational Practices (ROPs). In all, about 200 Agency staff from throughout the province completed surveys, including the Abbotsford Centre.

From these surveys, a Quality Performance Roadmap (QPR) will be generated which highlights areas that need further action on the part of the Agency, before the Accreditators’ visit in June. The expectation is that the Agency will address any deficiencies before the site visit to achieve a full accreditation.

The new process has presented some challenges, but overall John Hope, Director of Pharmacy for C&W, feels the accreditation review has evolved for the better. “Although accreditation takes a significant amount of time, it is worthwhile as it forces us to step back from day-to-day activities and take a more comprehensive view of the entire system with our colleagues.

“As the saying goes, we often don’t see the forest for the trees. Working with other departments and programs allows us to better appreciate where the overall system can be improved.”

Anne Burgess, leader for the Cancer Care survey at the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre, agrees. “It is time consuming, but it gives us an opportunity to look at the organization, in a focused way, to see our strengths and weaknesses. We can then take that independent assessment to improve our weakness and build on our strengths.”

Accreditation is an important organizational objective, and we’ll continue to update you monthly in the Link. 

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
Sustain and advance the BC Cancer Agency's system of cancer control.

Fraser Valley delivers radioimmunotherapy

The BC Cancer Agency's Fraser Valley Centre is now offering non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patients radioimmunotherapy closer to home. A relatively new form of treatment, radioimmunotherapy combines the effectiveness of radiation therapy with the targeting capacity of immunotherapy.

It is a third-line treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patients. A patient receives an injection of radioactive material which binds to an antigen on cancer cells to kill them.

"Patients need to have a low grade or transformed type of Lymphoma, with good blood counts, and bone marrow reserves to be good candidates for the procedure," says Dr. Sue Balkwill, radiation oncologist with the BC Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre. “Generally, patients don’t have as many acute side-effects like they might with chemotherapy."

“Radioimmunotherapy isn’t suitable for all Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patients, but it is another option we can provide that may prevent further relapse for a number of years. We’re thrilled to be able to offer it for patients right here in the community, so they don’t have to travel to Vancouver.”

Barbara Lamberton, a wife, mother and grandmother, was the first patient to receive the treatment at the Fraser Valley Centre. Diagnosed 17 years ago with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and given just a few months to live at the time, she marvels at the advances in treating the disease. In 1990 she received chemotherapy, in 2004 oral chemotherapy, and when the cancer recurred earlier this year, she was thrilled that she was a candidate for radioimmunotherapy.

“I had some horrible side-effects with the chemotherapy. I was sick to my stomach all the time. I lost my strength. I was crawling to the bathroom to throw-up,” says Barbara.

“With this treatment, I felt a little nauseous, headachy and fatigued, but it was so much better than the chemo.”

Bringing the program to the Fraser Valley was a collaborative effort on the part of many individuals. “The Surrey Memorial Hospital Nuclear Medicine Department is an important partner in enabling us to provide this therapy,” continues Sue. “SMH staff provide radiation safety consultation to the patient and administer the radioactive material. The FVC team also includes pharmacy and nurses from both Systemic and Radiation Therapy programs. 

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

BC Cancer Foundation opens offices in Abbotsford and Nanaimo

The BC Cancer Foundation recently opened two new offices to better serve BC Cancer Agency patients, staff and BC Cancer Foundation donors. You are welcome to speak to our Foundation staff in the BC Cancer Agency’s new Abbotsford Centre and in Nanaimo, to learn more about how the Foundation supports the work of the BC Cancer Agency throughout B.C.

Abbotsford
Liz Harris is one very excited resident of the newly-opened Abbotsford Regional Hospital & Cancer Centre. Liz has lived in Abbotsford since 1992 and can’t believe she is working at her dream job as a BC Cancer Foundation development officer in the Agency’s new Abbotsford Centre.

“My role is to raise funds to support the mission of the BC Cancer Agency,” says Liz. “When people come to me and ask how they can support cancer research or patient care, we find the best way, based on their interests and values, to do that.”

Contact Liz Harris at:
604-851-4736
lharris3@bccancer.bc.ca  
32900 Marshall Road
Abbotsford, BC V2S 0C2

Nanaimo
“I am touched by the public’s openness in sharing their stories and in their hopes for a world free of cancer. I look forward to helping the community connect to the BC Cancer Agency’s research,” says Zoë Campbell, the BC Cancer Foundation’s development officer in Nanaimo.

Contact Zoë Campbell at:
250-729-8869
zcampbell@bccancer.bc.ca  
Nanaimo North Town Centre
Unit 203-4750 Rutherford Road
Nanaimo, BC V9T 4K6 

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

Get a mental health check-up with FeelingBetterNow®

Most people get regular check-ups with their physician in order to assess their physical health, but rarely pay the same attention to their mental health. If you’re interested in giving yourself a mental health check-up, try FeelingBetterNow®.

FeelingBetterNow® is a confidential online self-assessment tool designed to identify symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses, and factors that impact your mental health. The questionnaire takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete and is available at www.feelingbetternow.com/phsa. You will need the PHSA access code to enter the system, which is fbnphsa.

Based on the results, FBN will provide resources and/or data from your assessment that you can print and discuss with your physician. The program is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be accessed from any location with computer access.

FeelingBetterNow® was piloted at PHSA and its agencies from November 2007 to April 2008, and will continue to be offered to employees for the next two years based on its success. For more information on FeelingBetterNow® and other mental health resources provided by PHSA, visit the Health Promotion section on the portal or contact Dawn Palmer, director of Employee Wellness & Safety at dpalmer@phsa.ca  or 604.875.7233. 

Newsmakers

Congratulations to:
Dr. Martial Guilland, scientist, and Anita Carraro, research assistant, Cancer Imaging, traveled to Nigeria this summer to participate in a collaborative research study - Operation Stop Cervical Cancer in Nigeria - with Professor Isaac Adewole and his team from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital of Ibadan. About 8,000 Nigerian women die every year from cervical cancer – a largely preventable disease in the West. Martial and Anita helped establish a research lab, with BC Cancer Agency built technology, to automatically read pap smears. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of early screening of women and providing the Human Papillomavirus vaccine to young women. To find out more, please contact Dr. Martial Guillaud at mguillau@bccrc.ca  

Dr. Marco Marra, director, Genome Sciences Centre, and Dr. Karl Otto, medical physicist, Vancouver Centre, received awards from the British Columbia Innovation Council (BCIC). Marco received the Frontiers in Research Award, for his groundbreaking work in mapping and genome sequencing, including leading the first team in the world to sequence the SARS coronavirus. Karl received the Young Innovator Award for his novel treatment advances, which provide more precise delivery of radiation therapy.

Marco and Karl will be honoured at the 2008 BCIC Awards on September 29 at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

BCIC is focused on accelerating the growth of B.C's science and technology communities and competitively positioning British Columbia in the global science and technology economy.

Dr. Brian Norris is being recognized for his contributions to breast cancer research and care by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The Foundation has named one of its two annual breast cancer research post-graduate fellowships in his honour. The two awards total up to $80,000 each per year, for up to two years. Applications are now being accepted for 2008/09. Please visit www.cbcfbc.org for more information.

Calling future newsmakers:
Do you know someone who has gone the extra mile in caring for people with cancer?

The BC Cancer Agency’s 2008 Community Care Award is now open to nominations. The annual award, sponsored by the BC Cancer Foundation, recognizes the valuable contributions of community partners from across the province. British Columbians are invited to nominate someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in providing support to cancer patients. Deadline for nominations is October 3, 2008

For more information or to make a nomination, contact:
www.bccancer.bc.ca  
conference@bccancer.bc.ca
604.877.6000 ext. 6216 or
Toll free: 1.800.663.3333, ext. 6216