Accreditations and Affiliations
- Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center
- Tammy Walker Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology, receives full accreditation from the American College of Radiation Oncology!
- Tammy Walker Cancer Center receives American Cancer Society's Harold P. Freeman Service Award
Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center
A new partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center as a member of the Masonic Cancer Alliance is giving patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center access to some of the latest clinical trials and research for cancer care.
The Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA) was founded in January 2008 as an effort by the university of Kansas Cancer Center to improve access to cancer care in the region and with the goal of one day earning a National Cancer Institute designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. A network of hospitals and research programs across Kansas and western Missouri makes up the MCA to provide a collaborative environment to enhance cancer care in the region and allow KU to roll out its latest clinical trials and research efforts to community-based clinics.
The overall goal of this alliance is to make the best in treatment and the best in research available to patients in this region. We know that cancer patients benefit from teamwork. That's why we've joined the Masonic Cancer Alliance. Our ultimate goal is to provide our cancer patients with more options, closer to home.
Too often, cancer patients have had to travel far from their homes to gain access to leading-edge clinical trials. Through our partnership, we're working to bring the best cancer clinical trials the region has to offer into our community and directly to our patients.
More Than Clinical Trials
Patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center will have access not only to the latest clinical trials originated by KU, but also to consultation services with KU oncologists and staff members through a video conference system at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. The MCA also allows the opportunity for staff at Tammy Walker to collaborate with their peers on many of the latest trends to enhance cancer prevention, detection and treatment.
Patients can get second opinion services through The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and multidisciplinary care for every diagnosis. As a member, we have the opportunity to enroll patients in MCA-sponsored prevention, screening and early detection trials at our hospital. Patients for whom standard therapies have failed can receive access to state-of-the-art clinical trials, thanks to this collaboration.
Advantages to Our Community
The benefits of our membership extend well beyond our patient population, offering numerous advantages to our entire community. Advances in cancer care and therapies close to home help us to attract and retain top physicians, nurses and staff to our area.
To learn more, visit masoniccanceralliance.org.
Tammy Walker Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology, receives full accreditation from the American College of Radiation Oncology!
The ACRO accreditation Practice Accreditation Program recently awarded the Tammy Walker Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology at Salina Regional Health Center a full three-year accreditation. This accolade was awarded following months of intensive review by a nationwide team of ACRO-designated board certified Radiation Oncologists and Radiation Physicists, members of the ACRO Physics Commission and/or the ACRO Practice Accreditation Subcommittee.
The major objective of the Practice Accreditation Program of the American College of Radiation Oncology is to review practice entities to ascertain that their facilities, staffing, and treatment programs are in accordance to accepted standards of modem day radiation therapy delivered in the United States. The accreditation process evaluates the practice facility, equipment, policies, procedures, staff and clinical treatment methods. The review consisted of an extensive off-site analysis of physical and clinical data as well as a critical review of actual patient records selected at random. In addition, an on-site verification visit was conducted late last fall. The data collected was entered into the ACRO national radiation oncology database and examined in light of multiple nationally accepted standards of current radiation oncology practice.
According to the corresponding report, "Radiation therapy treatment follows a very systematic process in the TWCC practice. The TWCC practice is a well organized and operated radiation oncology practice that not only meets but in many aspects exceeds the ACRO Standards for practice accreditation."
The Tammy Walker Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology is the only accredited practice in the entire state of Kansas, as well as the states of Oklahoma and Colorado.
For more information about the ACRO Practice Accreditation Program: http://acro.org/Accreditation/index.cfm
Tammy Walker Cancer Center receives American Cancer Society's Harold P. Freeman Service Award
The American Cancer Society has recognized the Tammy Walker Cancer Center at Salina Regional Health Center for its breast cancer outreach efforts in north central Kansas with the Harold P. Freeman Service Award. The award was developed by the ACS to honor individuals, groups, organizations, or companies who demonstrate exemplary achievement in the areas of saving lives, diminishing suffering or improving quality of life from cancer in underserved, at-risk communities.
The Tammy Walker Cancer Center was recognized for its AVON Breast Health Program, which provides clinical training and support to county health nurses in the 14-county Sunflower Health Network. The program also offers community education and referrals for low-cost or free mammograms to women with inadequate health insurance. In 2009 area professionals provided educational programs to more than 6,300 people and worked with nurses in 12 clinics in surrounding communities, that performed 1,197 breast exams and referred more than 951 women for free or low-cost mammograms.
This is the first time the award has been given in the state of Kansas.
"This award recognizes the hospital's commitment to a program that has a long history of great results," said Stephanie Weiter, ACS vice president of the High Plains Region. "The breast cancer outreach program is one of many programs at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center that provides great benefit to people in this area. It's great to see them get this recognition and it's well-deserved."