Annual Dog Day Afternoon & Pet Photos this weekend
October 13, 2009
Richard Anthony Savoie
October 15, 2009
The word “cancer” raises fear in the minds of most people, said M. Clarke Currie, director of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Houma.
However, he said, healthcare professionals are supposed to focus on doing the right thing for its cancer patients, and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at Terrebonne General Medical Center does that.
“From providing a caring environment to ensuring access to expert physicians, leading edge technology and vital support programs,” Currie said. “That is what interests me most about this cancer program and the opportunities it brings.”
Services at the center are currently available in the TGMC Medical Atrium building. However, construction begins on an actual cancer center where all of the services will be centralized in November.
Currie said the building is slated for completion in 2011. Until then, the services will continue to be provided in the medical atrium building.
TGMC officials said the program offers patients care with a team approach. Currie said four physicians will have primary involvement and make up the medical oncology team: Drs. Raul Doria, Robert Gamble and Harry McGaw.
Dr. Jeffrey Long leads the radiation oncology team, along with members of the Southeast Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group, who exclusively work for the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center locations.
The center is renowned for providing a multi-disciplinary program, offering a wealth of technology and clinical expertise.
The center is a nationally accredited institution with a commendation for excellence in cancer care by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, according to TGMC’s Web site.
But, most of all, Currie said it provides local access to cancer treatment for people in our community and the entire Bayou Region.
The Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center partnership with TGMC happened almost two years ago. The new cancer center, according to Currie, will offer patients the same excellent care they have been receiving.
“Putting the patient’s needs first was the top priority in the planning and designing phases of this project,” TGMC COO Diane Yeates said. “We wanted to integrate all the services for our patients into one convenient area that was beautifully designed to meet all of their needs.”
The center at TGMC offers a full spectrum of cancer care, from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Currie said the program provides surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as advanced resources and support services necessary to strengthen cancer care.
Some of the cancer diagnosis and treatment services offered by the center include chemotherapy, flow cytometry, digital mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), image guided biopsy, breast biopsy ultrasound, breast specific gamma imaging (BSGI) and several other imaging services.
Currie said doctors have access to comprehensive radiation therapy services like an image-guided radiation treatment, advanced intensity modulated radiation therapy treatment capability, positron emission tomography and computed tomography cabilities.
“We have enhanced our services to be the top provider of cancer treatment in the area which was our goal with this new cancer center,” Doria said. “The ground-breaking coming to fruition is extremely exciting, and we know our patients will find the new environment pleasing.”
The new building includes many unique aspects such as larger treatment areas in the medical oncology suite and a multistory atrium in the lobby, making it a healthy and healing environment, Long said.
“The new center shows the level of commitment to providing the best and most advanced treatment available today and the foreseeable future,” Long said. “The definite advantage of the new center will be its close physical proximity and the multidimensional approach to treatment.”
Also part of the Mary B. Perkins Cancer Center is the Early Bird mobile screening clinic. It travels to Houma to provide breast, colorectal, skin and prostate cancer screenings and education services.
Since March 2009, the Early Bird mobile clinic has conducted screenings in the Houma area, Currie said. A breast cancer screening will be available on Friday, Oct. 16 at Cannata’s Family Market on Prospect Street in East Houma.
The screenings are a part of TGMC’s efforts to bring awareness to breast cancer. October is breast cancer awareness month. Currie said TGMC has some of the industry’s best tools for early detection in the Women’s Imaging and Breast Center.
“When a suspicious mass is found, a surgeon can remove part of it with a biopsy,” he said. “TGMC doctors can perform advanced biopsy techniques such as ultrasound guided or stereotactic biopsies that use X-rays or real-time ultrasound images to improve the accuracy of how the doctor gets the tissue. Many of these tests can be done in the Women’s Imaging and Breast Center, allowing women to go home the same day.”
Appointments are required for the Early Bird mobile screening. To register, call 888-616-4687.
Dr. Anne Walker, a radiologist in the TGMC Women’s Imaging and Breast Center, operates a digital mammography unit used in detecting and diagnosing breast cancer. Throughout October, women are urged to get a screening for breast cancer. * Photo courtesy of TGMC
