News Release
April 9, 2008
Chris DeFrancesco, 860-679-3914
e-mail:
cdefrancesco@uchc.edu
More High Marks for UConn’s Cancer Program
FARMINGTON, CONN. – The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive
Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center has won
the highest possible overall rating from the
Commission on Cancer
of the American College of Surgeons.
Facilities awarded “three-year approval with commendation” from
the Commission on Cancer are those that have voluntarily committed
to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that
undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their
performance. They must undergo an on-site review every three years
to maintain approval.
“This further validates the work of our cancer program,” says
Carolyn D.
Runowicz, M.D., director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer
Center.
“This award from the Commission on Cancer is a recognition of our
ongoing commitment to preventing and treating cancer,” says
John
A. Taylor III, M.D., who chairs the cancer committee and
specializes in the treatment of urologic cancers, with a special
interest in bladder cancer.
The UConn Health Center first won Commission on Cancer approval
in 1977 and has maintained that status ever since.
“We are working on our mission of creating a center of regional
excellence based on research, clinical practice, and education in a
multidisciplinary, comprehensive team approach,” Runowicz says. “Dr.
Taylor and the cancer committee did an outstanding job over the past
several years, and it was recognized by the American College of
Surgeons.”
According to the Commission on Cancer, patients receiving care at
an approved cancer program are ensured access to:
- Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art
services and equipment.
- A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best
treatment options.
- Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment
options.
- Access to cancer-related information, education and support.
- A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of
cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient
follow-up.
- Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.
- Quality care close to home.
More information about the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center is
available at http://cancer.uchc.edu.
The American College of Surgeons is the world’s largest
organization of surgeons, founded in 1913 to raise the standards of
surgical practice and improve the care of the surgical patient. It
established the Commission on Cancer, a consortium of professional
organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life
for cancer patients, in 1922. More information is available at
www.facs.org and
www.facs.org/cancer.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools
of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University
Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Founded in 1961, the Health
Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care
education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and
public service.
To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at
www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of
Communications homepage at
www.uchc.edu/ocomm/ for archived news releases and other
information.
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