In November, pharmaceutical maker Janssen Inc. announced a $150,000 donation to the Juravinski Cancer Centre Foundation to help improve care for patients with blood cancers, specifically lymphoma and myeloma.
The gift, which will be completed in 2012, will fund two key initiatives: the creation of a Shared Care and Survivorship Transition Model and the development of an Online Resource Centre.
“Janssen has been an outstanding corporate citizen and strong supporter of the cancer program at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre for many years,” says Roger Ali, Vice-President Development for the Foundation. “Their support for these innovative projects will enhance access to care for hematology patients from across the region.”
Funding from Janssen will be used to develop a new model of shared care for patients with lymphoma and myeloma and test its application in a pilot study with a small number of patients.
Patients with blood cancers often become very comfortable with the specialized care they receive at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. As such, many prefer to see their hematologist instead of their family physician, when other health issues arise during the course of treatment.
It is hoped that providing patients with shared care throughout the time they are being treated will improve overall health outcomes and build a level of comfort with being treated by their hematologist and their family physician concurrently.
Models for shared care have been developed for other cancers, such as breast cancer, with considerable success, however there is virtually no published information regarding their application among patients with lymphoma and myeloma.
This pilot study will determine the feasibility of this model, measure patient satisfaction, and determine how effective the model is in terms of meeting the needs of both the hematology team and family physicians.
The second project, the development of an online resource centre, will also have a dramatic impact for lymphoma and myeloma patients, particularly those who have been newly diagnosed.
Because of the complexity of cancers like lymphoma and myeloma, as well as advances in research and treatment, patients and family physicians often have a difficult time finding reliable and up-to-date information.
The new online resource, to be integrated into the Hospital’s website, will serve as an information hub where patients and referring family physicians can go to learn more about these diseases. It will include in-depth information presented in lay terms about treatments, side effects, current research and how care is provided at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.
In addition to a wide variety of educational materials and online tools, the site will include an interactive virtual tour of the Hematology Department. This key feature will greatly assist new patients to orient themselves ahead of their first visit or appointment and will complement the extremely successful virtual tour of the Juravinski Cancer Centre that was previously funded by the pharmaceutical company.
.jpg)
