HJBR Mar-Apr 2019

Healthcare Journal of baton rouge I  MAR / APR 2019 15 “A truly calming and beautiful setting inspired by nature and Louisiana artists’ work, it includes some of the most powerful, sophisti- cated technology available today, and is inhabited by a team of highly skilled physicians and care givers who focus exclusively on caring for patients with cancer.” contributing to this rapid progress through its extensive community outreach, graduate education, and research programs and part- nerships. Because of the foresight of Mary Bird’s founders, the organization is able to focus exclusively on assembling the exper- tise and resources required to bring these new and evolving advances to patients. Editor Please describe the facility of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center for thosewho have never been there. Stevens With our partners, we have five locations in the greater Baton Rouge area. In 2015, we completed the renovation and expansion of Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center at 4950 Essen Lane. It was designed with patient comfort and convenience in mind. A truly calming and beautiful setting inspired by nature and Louisiana artists’ work, it includes some of the most powerful, sophisticated technol- ogy available today, and is inhabited by a team of highly skilled physicians and care givers who focus exclusively on caring for patients with cancer. Last year, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer and Woman’s Hospital partnered to open the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, located at 500 Rue de la Vie on Woman’s Hospital’s campus. Similar to the Essen campus, the design is patient-centered and calming, and puts all the resources needed to detect and treat these specific cancers under one roof. In 2009, working with St. Elizabeth Hospital and community leaders fromAscension Par- ish, we opened a facility focused on provid- ing local access to this growing area. Lead- ers inAscension Parish continue to support the growth of this facility and the programs we are able to offer to area residents. Addi- tionally, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center provides medical oncology and support services to patients at the LSU Health North Clinic, 5439 Air- line Highway, and is nowworking with Lane Regional Medical Center through a partner- ship that extends physician expertise to this community. Editor Please describe the value of having a facility dedicated solely to cancer treatment. Stevens  Research confirms patients want as many cancer services clustered together as possible. As a result, our philosophy is to surround patients with everything they need to fight cancer.This is why our partner- ships with hospitals, physicians, academic institutions, and community-based support organizations is so important; together, we provide comprehensive cancer care. We also find that close proximity fosters communi- cation and collaboration among members of our medical staff and teammembers who provide care to patients. For example, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Can- cer Center operates nine cancer-specific treatment teams, which each include med- ical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, surgeons, radiologists, and other specialists for cancers such as colon, rectal, lung, head and neck, and other cancers. Having all of these experts near one another makes our multidisciplinary approach possible. Over the past year, 117 physician-driven sessions were held to create enhanced patient care strategies among these nine cancer-specific teams. Editor What are some of the environmen- tal factors contributing to cancer? Should we be doing more in the area of prevention? Stevens We know that prolonged exposure to certain chemical agents and materials may increase risk factors for some types of cancer. For example, inhalation of asbestos fibers or cigarette smoke is strongly linked to lung cancer. We also know that diet, alco- hol use and obesitymay increase a person’s development of any type of cancer. Many cancers can be prevented or detected at a very early stage and treatment minimized, so there is always room for more education to help prevent the disease. Since 2002, Mary Bird Perkins’Prevention on the Go program, which provides mobile prevention, edu- cation, and early detection services, has screened over 80,000 individuals. Tradi- tionally, our Prevention on the Go program was a community-based service that was offered primarily to the uninsured. Today, as a result of a generous donation from Albemarle Foundation, we are also bring- ing these services to workplaces because we’ve learned that individuals with health insurance are generally not likely to keep up with recommended cancer screenings. Since the inception of Prevention on the Go work- place program in 2016, more than 60 percent of those who have participated were being screened for the first time in their lives. This tells us that the historical reason for people