Tough Mudder - Nurse Rebecca Bowie

Nurse Rebecca - Tough Mudder competitor

I’m proud to announce one of my new roles as a Nurse at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center is to teach our monthly Tobacco Cessation classes.  I take this role very seriously - if you are a smoker, quitting tobacco is the most important thing you can do for your health and will benefit the health of your loved ones also.  We all know smoking cigarettes increases your risk of developing lung cancer. Did you know it also increases your risk of developing other types of cancer like pancreatic, stomach, kidney, bladder, cervical and head and neck?  Not only will quitting tobacco reduce your risk of dying from cancer it will also reduce your risk of dying from heart disease, stroke and emphysema. The benefits to your body after quitting are almost immediate. For instance, after 20 minutes your heart rate and blood pressure decrease, after 12 hours the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and oxygen levels elevate, after 24 hours your risk of heart attack decreases… the list goes on and on.  Millions of people have quit smoking for good and you can be one of them.  In this class you will learn how to be successful by: being prepared, utilizing nicotine replacement products, combating triggers, and learning how to receive on-going support.  Completing the Tough Mudder (a hardcore 10 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces) last weekend was a huge accomplishment for me.  Like quitting tobacco it took willpower and strength.  With preparation and support I succeeded and you can too!  Call 737-3418 for class information or visit our website at www.tccancer.org. 

Rebecca Bowie, RN
Tri-Cities Cancer Center

Janine McKeever's (Exec. Assistant) Last Day!

How do you say farewell to highly regarded staff member who is fully invested in the success of the Tri-Cities Cancer Center for the benefit of our patients, healthcare partners, staff and the community we serve? I guess you start by saying, “We are all going to miss you greatly Janine and we wish you incredible success as you transition to a new community and career opportunities.” Today is Janine McKeever’s last day with us. Janine has served in the role of Executive Administrative Assistant when she has been a driving force for continued excellence at the Cancer Center. She has a willing attitude, brilliant smile and is sharp as a tack. Janine has the keen ability to see opportunities in challenging situations. Quick thinking, action taking, decision maker. That’s Janine. She will be missed… What follows are staff comments sending Janine on her way:


Our Executive Director, Tom Corley, referred to Janine as one of the Tri-Cities Cancer Center’s “…finest and most dedicated associates.” He shared the following at our most recent board meeting:

“Janine McKeever has been our Executive Administrative Assistant since October
2011. Janine, her husband Shane, and son will be relocating to Pueblo, Colorado where Shane has accepted a position. As you all know, Janine is a remarkably talented individual with exceptional skills and sound judgment. She is both wise and knowledgeable and serves as the “go to” person at the Center for employees, managers and Board members. In many aspects she serves as the “glue” which holds the Center’s many parts together. Tom Cothran (former TCCC Executive Director) confided that he relied heavily on Janine for all manner of issues and I must confess that I do as well. Her replacement will have huge shoes to fill.”

Tom Corley
Executive Director


Janine, Wishing you and Shane all the best as you start a new chapter in your lives.  You will be missed here at the Cancer Center.

Kim Berg
Volunteer Relations Coordinator


Janine,
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the TCCC, we were very fortunate to have you as part of our team, you will be missed.
 Wishing you and your family the best in Colorado and the new phase of your career J

Veronica Vogt
Patient Financial Counselor


Janine, it has been a pleasure working with you!  Your cheery smile and pleasant demeanor always brightened my day!  Best wishes to you and your family in Colorado.

Gretchen Saunders, RN
Nurse Navigator


Hey Janine (aka Polly), Really enjoyed working with you at TCCC and working out with you at Boot Camp.  Your refreshing and positive personality will be missed.  I hope you and your family continue to enjoy happiness and success in your new home.

Rebecca Grimes, RN


Janine, good luck to you and your family on your new adventure into the Rockies!

Lori Lott
Special Events Coordinator


Janine, Wishing you and Shane great success in all your future endeavors. I feel confident you will create your own success and do it with a smile!

Michael Novakovich
Director Business Development

Introducing Dr. Juno Choe

Hi, my name is Dr. Juno Choe, and I am the new radiation oncologist at Tri-Cities Cancer Center. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to join Tri-Cities Cancer Center and to be able to serve the Tri-Cities community. I recently moved here from Yakima, WA where I had been the radiation oncologist at North Star Lodge, the cancer center for Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. I moved here with my wife, Tammy, and 1½ year old daughter, Juliet. We also have a baby boy on the way and due in September. Much of our time these days is spent in raising our daughter, but I love playing golf and tennis. I also love music, and I am a pianist and a cellist who loves to play chamber music in small groups.

I am joining Tri-Cities Cancer Center during a tremendously exciting time. Tri-Cities Cancer Center boasts state of the art radiation equipment including the Varian Trilogy linear accelerator that was designed to deliver precise radiation treatments to tumors while minimizing dose to normal tissues. This allows us to reduce side effects and improve patient safety with a variety of different cancer types.

The Varian Trilogy also excels at delivering stereotactic radiosurgery, and the Tri-Cities Cancer Center has the longest track record for delivering this innovative treatment in the city. In combination with our BrainLAB radiosurgery system, we can deliver ultra precise radiation to tumors within the brain with minimal effects on the rest of the brain, often in a single treatment. Similarly, we can also deliver radiosurgery within the rest of the body, and Tri-Cities Cancer Center has an active sterotactic body radiosurgery program. This method of treatment is especially favorable for patients who are not candidates for traditional surgery or who do not wish to undergo surgery. Using this method, early stage lung cancers, liver tumors, and many other cancer types can be treated in 3-5 treatments commonly.

We also have an active brachytherapy program in which radioactive sources are placed close to tumors or areas at risk to help cure cancer. In particular, we have extensive experience with accelerated partial breast irradiation that allows us to treat early stage breast cancers all within the span of one week rather than the traditional 6+ weeks for whole breast radiation. In addition, brachytherapy can be used to treat prostate cancers and gynecologic cancers, either alone or in conjunction with stereotactic radiosurgery.

There are also many new exciting initiatives at Tri-Cities Cancer Center. We just launched our lung cancer screening program open to high risk members of the community with an extensive smoking history. Lung cancer screening with low dose CT scans have been shown in randomized clinical trials to reduce lung cancer related mortality, and this is a fantastic new service that is available to our community.

As you can see, there is much that the Tri-Cities Cancer Center has to be proud of. I am honored to be joining such a great institution and look forward to becoming part of your community.

Juno Choe, MD, PhD
Board Certified Radiation Oncologist
Tri-Cities Cancer Center