Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Winter 2020

A joyful noise Bartlett Infusion Therapy recently became the proud owner of a well-established cancer care tradition—a chemo bell. Juneau resident Edwin Sasser took on the project after his wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer with chemotherapy. The longtime fisherman and mariner acquired the bell from a vintage retired boat. He mounted it to a hand-sanded and varnished wood board and attached a long rope. Chemo treatments take an average of six months. “Treatments can be so tough on patients,” says Infusion Nurse Manager Jennifer Guiterrez, RN. “Every milestone is important. Patients ring the bell, and everybody claps and cheers to celebrate!” When less ismore Dr. Malpass is also a palliative care specialist. He says that in some cancer cases, patients may benefit more by focusing on quality of life, rather than quantity . The emphasis of palliative care is placed on relieving the symptoms of cancer, rather than shrinking it. “Trying to not over-treat patients and only deliver treatment which is likely to be beneficial is of critical importance,” he says. Over the years, he became convinced that too many patients were experiencing over-treatment. “And so I developed an interest in palliative care,” Dr. Malpass says. “Palliative care is an important part of quality cancer care.” At Bartlett, the experts fly in—so you don’t have to fly out Thomas Malpass, MD, recently retired from full-time practice at VirginiaMason in Seattle. He’s one of three part-time physicians at the Bartlett Medical Oncology Center—which lets local patients get top-notch care closer to home. “Patients can get their biopsy, diagnosis, imaging and treatment here. They don’t have to go to Seattle or Anchorage,” Dr. Malpass points out. Bartlett Medical Oncology Center (BMOC) treats patients with blood cancers, hematologic (blood) disorders, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies. Other Juneau oncologists contracted by Bartlett Regional Hospital are Paul Weiden, MD, and Gurkamal Chatta, MD. Making care convenient Around the corner from the main Bartlett Regional Hospital campus and under the same roof as the BMOC is the Southeast RadiationOncologyCenter (SROC), which administers radiation treatments to cancer patients using advanced digital technology. BMOC and SROC share exam rooms, and patients may see radiation oncologist and SROCmedical director Eugene Huang, MD, and their oncologist in the same visit. They work closely with primary care providers, including Donald Schneider, MD, who works next door at Valley Medical Care. Coordinated care “Often the primary doctor is the one to diagnose a cancer, and they want to be as involved as possible with the care following diagnosis,” says Dr. Schneider. “However, I am not a specialist, and there are certainly medical problems I am not trained to manage alone. We are very blessed to have such good help so close at hand. The visiting oncologists, our local surgeons, our infusion center and Dr. Huang have my full confidence and provide a great resource to this community. Many of my > = < HERE FOR YOU Bartlett’s cancer services help you get the comprehensive care you need near the ones you love. Call us at 907-798-8720 . patients don’t wish to travel for financial, comfort or family reasons, and the care they receive here is excellent.” Coordinating cancer treatment is a complex dance of scheduling tests, treatments and patient education, which requires a great deal of teamwork. None of this would be possible without the skill and patience of BMOC staff, like oncology nurse Marlowe Dunker, RN. “Ms. Dunker’s guidance and the close- working provider relationships make up a system of comprehensive cancer care for Southeast Alaska residents,” says Dr. Malpass. “Our results compare very favorably with care delivered in Seattle.” And if patients end up needing to travel for further care, they can return to Bartlett to continue therapy and be close to family and familiar surroundings. Marlowe Dunker, RN (Crow Fox Photography) www.bartletthospital.org 5