Oncology
Baylor Health Care System treats patients with all types of cancer and we see more hospitalized cancer patients than any other hospital in North Texas. We serve as a primary referral center for complex surgeries, rare tumors and advanced stages of cancer. And we do it all knowing that at the center of every cancer diagnosis is a person, an individual whose life, and quality of life, rest in our hands.
The Need
In 2010, Baylor Health Care System facilities provided inpatient cancer care for more than 6,000 patients. More than 90,000 outpatients visited the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Dallas. And in Texas alone, people needing cancer care is expected to increase by 21 percent within the next 10 years.
Our Response
Not only do we address the disease, we are focused on treating the whole person.
In addition to prevention, screening, diagnostic and treatment services, our approach to personalized, compassionate care includes comprehensive educational and support programs that are vital to the healing process.
We are positioned to be one of the nation’s preeminent cancer care centers. It is what our community needs. And it is what we will become with the help of others who recognize that what we do for those living with cancer, we do for those whose lives they touch. In other words, all of us.
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At Baylor, I always had the feeling that I was part of a family. Now I’m cancer free, and take more time with the people I care about than I ever did before.
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Top 4 Philanthropic Opportunities in Oncology
- Hope Lodge
- Patient Navigation Program
- Innovative Research
- Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education Center
Hope Lodge
In 2013, the American Cancer Society selected the Baylor University Medical Center campus for the location of their newest Hope Lodge.
Hope Lodge Dallas will offer free accommodations for 50 cancer patients and their families who travel to Dallas for care from more than 40 miles away.
A diagnosis of cancer is frightening enough. The financial toll of the loss of income, medical bills, hotel rooms, travel, and dining out only add to the emotional stress. Hope Lodge will help eliminate at least some of the inconvenience and expenses, while providing a welcoming and supportive environment where patients can focus all their energies on getting well.
In addition to offering patients a home away from home during treatment, Hope Lodge Dallas will also serve as the regional headquarters for the American Cancer Society. This partnership testifies to the leadership role Baylor is playing in cancer research and treatment.
Patient Navigation
Sometimes, the most enlightened component of care is the most human. Baylor’s patient navigation service is an example. Patient navigators help newly diagnosed patients through their treatment program by scheduling appointments, explaining each step of treatment, tracking their progress and offering a caring companion during one of the most stressful times in a person’s life.
Each year, our patient navigators provide patients and their families with a medical advocate and guide throughout the course of diagnosis, treatment, healing and survivorship.
Innovative Research
Clinical research yields a threefold bonus of benefits. First, it offers patients access to participation in clinical research studies of medical advances, often at no charge. Second, it is our clinical research that keeps us at the forefront of cancer medicine. Finally, clinical research is critical to fulfilling our mission to serve all people.
The Swim Across America Innovative Clinical Trials Center, which opened in September 2013, offers patients better access to a wide range of new research and treatment options, and expands the already extensive program of cancer clinical trials offered at Baylor Sammons Cancer Center. More than 20 clinical trials are offered at the ICTC at any one time, with more than 150 patients participating annually.
Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education Center
Patients who are informed and supported are willing partners in their care and active managers of their health. Knowing the value of patient education, Baylor founded the Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education Center in honor of a former cancer patient. This unique Baylor resource connects patients with social workers who provide access to educational materials, support groups, counseling, community resources and integrative medicine.
For more information related to cancer initiatives at Baylor and how you can support, please contact Tim Moore at 214-820-7877 or Timothy.Moore@BaylorHealth.edu or Sarah Burdi at 214-820-4721 or Sarah.Burdi@BaylorHealth.edu.
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