Ochsner & LSUHSC Partner to Provide Cancer Care on Louisiana Medical News

Ochsner & LSUHSC Partner to Provide Cancer Care

OCHSNER AND LSUHSC PARTNER TO PROVIDE BETTER LOCAL ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CARE
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:32:42 +0000

Shared Physicians, Diagnosis, Locations, and Research Benefit Regional
Cancer Patients

NEW ORLEANS -Ochsner Health System (www.ochsner.org) and LSU Health
Sciences Center, New Orleans (www.lsuhsc.edu) have announced a
partnership to better serve the region’s cancer patients by combining
clinical care and cancer research in order to advance patient treatment
options and provide better access to care. This collaboration will also
further the development of critical, translational research, bridging
the gap between research and the delivery of new therapies by allowing
research to move rapidly from the laboratory into additional early phase
clinical trials and new treatments for cancer patients.

The partnership between the two medical leaders began in 2008 and is
centered on combining LSUHSC, the state’s largest cancer research
facility, with Ochsner, the state’s largest clinical cancer provider,
to bring better local access to comprehensive cancer care. Patients will
benefit from this partnership by having access to the latest research
trials and treatments closer to home and the ability to receive
comprehensive cancer care through a combined network of local physicians
and neighborhood locations. LSUHSC and Ochsner patients will have access
to cancer services at both organizations.

“Southeast Louisiana residents will now have a truly diverse
‘team’ of cancer care experts, clinical experts and research
leaders, dedicated to providing compassionate and comprehensive cancer
care within the local community,” said Dr. John Cole, M.D., Head of
Hematology/Oncology at Ochsner Medical Center and Acting Chief of
Hematology/Oncology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. “By
combining our expertise, patients will no longer have to travel outside
Louisiana to get the most current cancer treatments or participate in
potentially lifesaving clinical trials.”

“The joint program will allow scientists and clinicians to jointly
study the most frequent cancers in our region and design new ways to
prevent, diagnose and treat them,” notes Dr. Augusto Ochoa, Director
of the LSUHSC Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center.

“This partnership was developed from mutual commitment to provide the
best care for our communities. Ochsner and LSUHSC have a long tradition
of partnership through shared medical education and research trials;
however, this latest collaboration will have a more direct impact on
residents lives,” explains Warner Thomas, President and Chief
Operating Officer of Ochsner Health System.
“LSU Health Sciences Center and Ochsner have a number of joint
training programs for resident physicians,” said Dr. Larry Hollier,
Chancellor of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. “This new
initiative in clinical cancer care will expand the ability of both
institutions to provide the latest diagnosis and treatment for a broad
range of cancer patients. This is an important milestone in the recovery
of health care services for people in the New Orleans area.”

###