Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is bringing a new nine-story outpatient facility to Washington University’s medical campus. Slated to open in 2024, the center will be dedicated to outpatient cancer care. Patients will be able to receive treatments in one setting, limiting the need to travel and schedule multiple appointments. In addition to the building’s 96 exam rooms, 88 infusion pods, radiology and breast imaging services, and lab space, patients will have access to clinical trials. “We’re trying to offer it all in one place,” says Linda Postula, chief nurse executive for the Faculty Practice Plan at Washington University Physicians. “Not only will the center have first-class and additional care, but we’re also going to offer acupuncture, massages, yoga… We want [patients] to be able to have more than what they do right now. The building is totally oncology-centered for these patients.”
Beyond Infections
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When Dr. Alexandre Lacasse treats patients at the new Infectious Disease Clinic at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, care often goes beyond writing a prescription and sending them home. “I think it’s evident that we love what we do,” says Lacasse, an infectious disease and internal medicine physician with SSM Health. “It is much more about making sure they have transportation to come to the clinic, that they actually understand what’s going on, that they have support, that they’ll be accepted in the community. It’s service that is going to be individualized to the need.” The clinic also offers pre-exposure prophylaxis, a treatment that reduces the risk of getting HIV through sex by about 99 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
High Energy
On July 1, the Mercy Proton Therapy Center at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center opened its doors to patients. One of only 37 proton centers across the United States, it uses high-energy proton beams to deliver radiation to a tumor with reduced radiation exposure to other parts of the body. “We decided now is the right time to move ahead, because Mercy is committed to advancing patient care,” says Mercy president and CEO Steve Mackin. “We have top-notch clinical talent, and we have a growing volume of patients whom we know will benefit.”
A Program with Heart
St. Luke’s Hospital is offering patients first-rate cardiac and vascular care, in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, ranked No. 1 for cardiac care in U.S. News & World Report. The hospital’s Heart Failure Center has everything patients need under one roof: diagnostic, interventional, and surgical offerings, as well as heart-disease-prevention programs and rehabilitation programs. “By being organized this way, it lets us do things that we didn’t do before,” says Dr. Shane LaRue, director of the Heart Failure Center. One outcome: “to give patients exposure to potential therapies still only available in trials.”
A Warm Welcome
Last December, Mercy Hospital South opened 15 state-of-the-art labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum suites. About twice the size of a typical hospital room, the suites are more accommodating for families and include bathtubs for patients to use while laboring. “The physical transformation is only part of our investment in expanding access to women’s health care in South County,” says Mercy spokesperson Joe Poelker. Work to expand the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and renovate three OB triage rooms is also underway and expected to be completed by early next year.
With Heart
The Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation recently provided items to the NICU and a generous financial donation to Mercy Children’s Hospital St. Louis with the goal of supporting the mental and emotional health needs of parents and other individuals caring for medically complex infants and young children with critical congenital heart disease. This mission is the driving goal of the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation, which the founders created after their son Ollie passed away from a congenital heart defect.
Stylists Against Skin Cancer
In partnership with the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Dr. Ramona Behshad, a SLUCare dermatologist and assistant professor at the SLU School of Medicine, founded Stylists Against Skin Cancer. The program aims to educate and empower hairstylists to identify scalp melanoma, one of the most difficult forms of skin cancer to detect—and one of the deadliest. With early detection from dermatologists and hairstylists, followed by prompt treatment, scalp melanoma is curable.
Preventative Measures
For some people, a genetic history qualifies them as high-risk for breast cancer prior to reaching the recommended age range for regular mammograms. St. Clare Hospital in Fenton is now developing a high-risk breast program to treat people with that genetic history who should receive regular mammograms and MRIs to monitor breast health. The program originated after a patient discovered that her aunt was at higher risk for breast cancer and subsequently contacted breast surgeon Pamela Bunting at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital. This proactive decision helped lead to the identification and treatment of the patient’s own breast cancer.
A Ray of Sunshine
The staff at SSM Health DePaul Hospital’s intensive care unit looks for ways to brighten patients’ days. One nurse draws cartoon characters on the windows, for instance, and the team sometimes organizes surprise birthday parties. It’s part of taking a “holistic perspective,” says Angela Fraley, administrative director of nursing operations. “We try to think outside the box and make the experience a little different than what people expect when they’re in the ICU.”
Growing Up
This year, Mercy Fertility Care Services celebrates a milestone of sorts: 45 consecutive years of care. Over time, the department has evolved in myriad ways. In addition to natural planning services, the women’s health clinic now offers services to address reproductive issues, such as irregularities in menstrual cycles and infertility, as well as offering translation services for patients and their families. “The department has grown tremendously, having served more than 5,400 women or couples,” says department manager K. Diane Daly. “There are so many memorable moments.”
Caring for Pets
Pets of Mercy Hospice patients can accompany their loved ones through their end of life care, thanks to Mercy Hospice’s Pet Peace of Mind. The program provides quality care for pets, offering financial assistance for pet food and litter, necessary veterinary care, and pet care from volunteers, including walking, sufficient play and affection, waste pickup, and feeding. Most important, the program carefully rehomes the pets of deceased hospice patients without a family member or friend to take them in to ensure they’re cared for, for the rest of their lives.
