At CHI Saint Joseph Health, we’re focused on providing quality, compassionate care to Kentucky residents, which includes our commitment to continue growing and improving our services in the community. In 2019, CHI Saint Joseph Health in Lexington began an affiliation with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, one of America’s top‑five cancer providers. Patients took notice and so did staff.
“When we affiliated with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, our outlying hospitals yearned for the same level of care,” said Jessica Croley, MD, medical director at CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Center in Lexington.
So to serve even more people in need of expert cancer care, the affiliation expanded to include the Cancer Care Centers at Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling and Saint Joseph London, along with the CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Center in Corbin.
“Expanding the affiliation will be a giant boost to our cancer services, enabling us to offer academic cancer care in a community setting.”
When a rare cancer or difficult tumor is found, our oncologists will be able to consult with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center specialists for instant, expert second opinions and treatment plans for optimal long-term outcomes and greater patient confidence.
“We are so enthusiastic to have the opportunity to work with CHI Saint Joseph because of our shared core values and priority for clinical excellence,” said Hetty Carraway, MD, hematology and medical oncology, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center – Main Campus. “We look for affiliates that embrace a culture of continued learning and always are looking to provide the best quality of service to the patients we serve.”
In the event a patient needs to be transferred to Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center for care, that process is streamlined, so patients can focus on getting well instead of lining up treatment.
This exciting affiliation offers many advantages that patients might not even notice, although they will certainly benefit from them. For example, all CHI Saint Joseph Health facilities have reevaluated their practices and processes, reviewing every aspect of care and identifying opportunities for improvement. Care practices are now standardized across facilities to support the continuum of care should patients need to move from one center to another. New support staff, including dietitians and social workers, were also brought on board to ensure every patient receives a comprehensive, whole health and healing approach to cancer care.
“We want to ensure patients get the same level of care, regardless of where they go for that care,” said Greg Bodager, market director for the oncology service line at CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Centers. “Since beginning our affiliation with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, we’ve developed a roadmap for growth and development that will benefit patients at our other facilities as well.”
Carraway said Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center physicians are able to provide immediate access for consultations and tumor board multidisciplinary review as needed for CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Centers’ medical oncology and radiation oncology physicians. This allows patients in Kentucky and its surrounding area to have quick access to second opinion input from a multidisciplinary team of experts on their treatment plan, while staying close to home.
“The definition of success is when you have two institutions that are equally enthusiastic and devoted to a shared mission, Carraway said. “From our perspective, the affiliation has been immensely successful as we have shared best practices, as well as been a resource for second opinions and continue to develop a strong relationship with Saint Joseph cancer care.”
“We’re called to serve, and that’s the driving force behind CHI Saint Joseph Health,” Bodager said. “That’s why we’re excited about the expansion of our affiliation with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. It allows us to serve a broader scope of the community in an increasingly excellent way.”
Visit www.CHISaintJosephHealth.org/lexington-cancer-care to learn more about the world-class cancer care available in your backyard.
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