Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Page 18 of 27American men ages 40-70 years and for those who have a history of prostate cancer. In FY08, 35 men werescreened, and SJMH was able to provide treatment for two men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer.In recognition of melanoma/skin cancer detection and prevention month in May, St. Joe’s provided a day of freescreening. Many of the 100 individuals who were tested had never been to a dermatologist; and, of those whoattended, 20 were found to have suspicious lesions. This type of screening is the first step to getting treatmentwhen needed.During FY08, a total of 1,000 individuals attended a free event at St. Joe’s featuring the Super Colon – aninteractive educational exhibit that provides an up-close look at healthy and diseased colon tissue. In additionto the display, physicians were available to answer questions about colorectal health. The event helped to raiseawareness about the risks of colorectal conditions and cancer and to inform visitors of ways to prevent and treatthese diseases.In addition, gifts from the community made it possible St. Joe’s to offer low-cost mammograms for women inour community who are unable to afford services.More information about breast care services – page 7The cancer care program continues to offer a variety of support and education services including a resourcelibrary, an art therapy workshop, referral services and several support groups for specific types of cancer.During FY08, SJMHS remained dedicated to providing ongoing physician education. Two cancer symposiumswere offered. The first was on the topic of developing a smoking cessation program with featured speaker Dr.Alan Blum. The second symposium featured Deborah Barton of the Mayo Clinic who along with a panel of St.Joe’s physicians discussed ways to manage breast cancer symptoms.Cancer ResearchSaint Joseph Mercy Health System remains the lead institution in the 13-member Michigan Cancer ResearchConsortium (MCRC). MCRC is one of only 50 Community Clinical Oncology Programs (CCOP) in the nation,and is designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to participate in the latest cancer treatment andprevention trials. In addition, of the 50 CCOP groups, MCRC remains among the top 10 for rate of patientsparticipating in research trials. The Health System’s active participation in the MCRC allows us to providepatients with access to the most current options in the country for emerging cancer prevention and treatment.St. Mary Mercy in Livonia, St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland have benefited fromthis strong research program since joining the Health System in 2008. Saint Joseph Mercy Health System’scancer research program provided an infrastructure that the hospitals needed to enhance their cancer careprograms. More than 15 patients from each of these hospitals were enrolled in a study within the first fivemonths of joining the Health System.In FY08, SJMHS continued to work with the NCI Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB), which hasproven to reduce the administrative burden on the SJMHS Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and investigators