New transportation service 'bridges the distance'
Radiation oncology van supports area cancer patients
09 / 19 / 2007
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
CHILTON, Wis. – Dr. Peter Janu, medical director of Surgical Services at Calumet Medical Center, knows of area cancer patients who forgo needed radiation therapy because it means driving to and from Appleton daily for six weeks.
“Based on our service population in Calumet County, this distance can be formidable, if not impossible to manage,” Janu says. “This has left many patients of mine in a situation deciding against potentially available treatment based on proximity.”
While it is cost-prohibitive for a facility the size of Calumet Medical Center to provide radiation therapy, an investment of $10 million in start-up costs alone, the hospital has come up with a solution to help cancer patients get the much needed therapy. Thanks to a grant from the Calumet Area Community Health Foundation, Calumet Medical Center has started a van service to transport patients and their families daily to radiation therapy at
“All patients wishing to use this service travel together in the van weekday mornings to receive treatment,” says Travis Andersen, president of Calumet Medical Center. “The radiation therapy center at
Dr. Avi Bar-Lev, a medical oncologist with Fox Valley Hematology & Oncology who treats cancer patients at Calumet Medical Center, calls the new van service a huge benefit for the region. “It seems to be a great fit and a cost-effective solution for patients in the Calumet Medical Center service area,” Bar-Lev says. “This service provides a viable alternative for the patient and their family, and can expand their treatment options.”
Andersen sees this service as an additional way for Calumet Medical Center, in cooperation with Affinity Health System, to “provide patients with the best medical treatment close to home. When that’s not feasible, we continually look for ways to bridge the distance,” Andersen says. “Without the support of the Calumet Area Community Health Foundation and the cooperation of
For more information about this service, cancer patients should speak with their physician or contact Calumet Medical Center at (920) 849-2386.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It has been nationally ranked in the Top 50 Health Insurance Plans for five consecutive years in the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 26 family practice and specialty clinics – 23 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.