Embracing Change: Moving with the Cheese! - Michael Novakovich

The staff at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center recently read the book, “Who Moved My Cheese.” The book is a tale of “change” and focuses on four characters: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Ha. Sniff, as you might imagine, smells out the need for change long before a game changing situation presents itself. Scurry, scurries into action – embracing change. Ha, well…Ha initially resists change but eventually realizes that he will be left behind, becoming obsolete and failing if he does not embrace change. He eventually joins the party! Hem, poor Hem. Hem is unwilling to change. He believes things will return to how they once were.  He is a subscriber to what I like to call the “Eeyore Syndrome.” Hem mutters phrases like: It will never work, we can’t make that happen, we have always done it this way. As a company, and as individuals, we need to be like Sniff and Scurry (or at the very least like Ha) if we want to grow, prosper and offer the best support for those we serve and care about. We need to Move with the Cheese.

Your Tri-Cities Cancer Center has been sniffing out new advances in cancer treatment and overall patient care, and scurrying into action! It is exciting to work with a group of healthcare professionals who embrace a unified vision to continually search out and provide the very best for the community we serve. One such endeavor is our recent network affiliation with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA). The SCCA is a collaboration of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Medical School and Seattle Children’s.  If you are not familiar, these three entities are the powerhouses of cancer research and care here on the west coast…and we just brought them to town! Radiation clinical trials that were once only available in large metropolitan areas, generally in a university setting, will now be available to patients in our region without the need to travel. What this means to a cancer patient is better outcomes as they benefit from less stress; they maintain their support system; and they avoid the financial burden of an extended stay away from home.

We will be sharing more about the exciting changes we are bringing to our community. As they say, “We are Moving with the Cheese!”

Be sure to read the full Press Release below for more detail about our SCCA network affiliation. 

Until next time,

Michael Novakovich
Director of Business Development
TCCC

Tri-Cities Cancer Center Joins
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Affiliate Network

Kennewick, WA – Tri-Cities Cancer Center has joined the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) Network to become its ninth affiliate in the greater Northwest. The affiliation will expand local access to cancer treatment options and help foster advances in cancer care.

“We have a long history of taking a collaborative approach to cancer care and joining Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s network is a natural extension of this philosophy,” said Charles W. DeGooyer, Chief Executive Officer of Tri-Cities Cancer Center. “We truly believe that this will empower us to offer greater access to care while providing world-class cancer treatment for all.”

By joining the SCCA Network, Tri-Cities Cancer Center oncologists can now offer their patients access to additional treatment options via select SCCA clinical studies without having to send their patients to Seattle. The SCCA Network provides a structured program for supporting community-based oncology services, such as continuing medical education and arranging for local patients to enroll in clinical trials managed by qualified community physicians.

“Access to breakthrough clinical trials should not be limited by geography,” said Norm Hubbard, Executive Vice President of SCCA. “We are excited to extend our relationship with the Tri-Cities community and look forward to partnering with Tri-Cities Cancer Center oncologists.”
The new relationship doesn’t involve any changes to health plan coverage or benefits. As always, patients should talk directly with their health plan customer service center to understand coverage specifics before beginning any treatment.

“All of us in Eastern Washington can be proud that SCCA, one of the most highly respected academic cancer centers in the country, has invited the Tri-Cities Cancer Center to become part of its provider network,” said Dr. Thomas Rado, MD, PhD, Columbia Basin Hematology & Oncology. “This invitation recognizes the excellent patient care provided by TCCC, and its dedication to bringing the latest advances in cancer research to the Tri-Cities. At Columbia Basin Hematology and Oncology we welcome the Tri-Cities Cancer Center to SCCA, and look forward to a partnership which brings the best in clinical research and evidence-based cancer care to our patients.”

Other members of the SCCA Network include Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, Bozeman, Mont.; Columbia Basin Hematology and Oncology, Kennewick; Group Health Medical Centers; MultiCare Regional Cancer Center, Tacoma; Olympic Medical Center, Port Angeles; Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage; Skagit Valley Hospital, Mount Vernon; and Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, Wenatchee. SeaMar Community Health Centers also have a relationship with the SCCA Network as a community partners focused on educational activities.

The Tri-Cities Cancer Center, a partnership of Lourdes Health Network, Kennewick General Hospital, Kadlec Regional Medical Center, and the Tri-Cities Community, opened its doors in 1994 as a freestanding non-profit cancer treatment facility. The center has become the primary community resource for cancer treatment, support, education, and information. With the generous support of the community, Tri-Cities Cancer Center is a place where dedicated professionals work alongside devoted volunteers to expand services each year.

For more information on the SCCA Network please visit: http://www.seattlecca.org/network-members.cfm. To learn more about the Tri-Cities Cancer Center visit: http://www.tccancer.org/.

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About Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is a cancer treatment center that unites doctors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s. Our goal, every day, is to turn cancer patients into cancer survivors. Our purpose is to lead the world in the prevention and treatment of cancer. SCCA has five clinical care sites: an outpatient clinic on the Hutchinson Center campus, a pediatric inpatient unit at Seattle Children’s, an adult inpatient unit at UW Medical Center, a medical oncology clinic at EvergreenHealth, and medical and radiation oncology clinics at UW Medicine / Northwest Hospital.  Additionally, proton therapy services are provided at SCCA Proton Therapy, A Procure Center. For more information about SCCA, visit www.seattlecca.org.