Battling cancer is a multi-step process, and often it includes having a patient journey from one facility to another and meeting with multiple doctors.
However, for Santa Clarita Valley residents, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital will serve as the local “one-stop destination for world-class cancer care,” according to Roger Seaver, CEO of HMNH.
“For health care, aging is always a growth market. So, the seniors are maturing at this point in this valley. It used to be a very young valley, but today we have a significant number of seniors and their acute experience if they can keep it close to home is always better,” Seaver said.
“We provide great care, but when you’re in the hospital, you want to get home. If you’re in the hospital, you want to be close to home because your family can come by or see your friends. So, the point is they’re always providing care to a neighbor, friend, or relative and the community. We’re losing that [aspect] across the United States, but in this valley, in this hospital, in this relationship, we can keep something really unique and important long-term for health care.”
On Wednesday, HMNH, in partnership with Keck Medicine of USC, hosted an open house event with drinks and food for the grand opening of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Radiation Oncology clinic at the Henry Mayo campus.
According to Seaver, HMNH and Keck Medicine of USC came into a partnership more than 15 months ago. The two organizations discussed ways to expand oncology services to the Santa Clarita Valley and provide opportunities for new and established medical professionals.
“As you’ll find with us, we believe in keeping care local, and making sure that we can bolster up any of the areas that need bolstering to take care of the local community,” said Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine.
There’s an important connection with an academic medical center such as Keck Medicine of USC and a local hospital like HMNH, Hanners added. The partnership allows the educational institution to rotate medical students or create opportunities for residencies in the SCV.
“So, it’s kind of a lead with the clinical then to come in and follow up in terms of looking at where we could have a training [or educational] program,” Hanners said.
As part of the open house, HMNH staff led tours through two finished suites in the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Radiation Oncology clinic. Supervisor of Radiation Therapy Brent Sua led a small group.
Sua showcased some of the state-of-the-art medical technology available for identifying tumors and radiation therapy.
“It’s got a lot of technology… like 4D respiratory gating so we can actually route the volume or the movement of a tumor for treatment. So, you can see how much it’s actually moving and take that into the planning process [for treatment],” Sua said.
“We have a lot coming into this sector with USC,” Sua said. “Everything from surgery, chemotherapy, medical oncology, lab, infusion, pharmacy, colorectal, etc., they have quite a bit coming in. By doing this patient-centered program, we’re able to bring all of the resources together so the patient doesn’t have to travel everywhere and they can get all of their cancer services.”
In addition to the new facility, there are four new departments: specialty orthopedic services, colorectal surgery services, radiation oncology and cancer care program and breast surgery services headed by Keck Medicine of USC professionals Jay Lieberman, Marjun Duldulao, May Lin Tao and Amanda Woodworth, respectively.
“We are working to bring together the most comprehensive cancer care that you can imagine close to your home,” Woodworth said. “We believe treating cancer requires a personalized approach. We offer a multidisciplinary team so radiation oncology, medical oncology, as well, where we can treat the entire patient, but most importantly, it is the patient at the center.”
