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OHSU, Saint Alphonsus to provide enhanced cancer care in Idaho, eastern Oregon

As a member of the OHSU Knight Cancer Network, Saint Alphonsus will help expand cancer research, clinical trial opportunities, advanced specialized care to patients
building shots of St. Alphonsus and Knight Cancer
Collaborating with Saint Alphonsus’ patient network and clinical care team (left) enables the Knight Cancer Institute (right) to expand research and provide specialized care, including treatments for rare cancers. (OHSU)

The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University and the Saint Alphonsus Cancer Institute today announced a new collaboration to provide patients in Idaho and eastern Oregon access to advanced cancer care, specialized services and innovative research. For more than two decades, Saint Alphonsus has been a leader in cancer care in Idaho and eastern Oregon.

Collaborating with Saint Alphonsus’ patient network and clinical care team enables the Knight Cancer Institute to expand research and provide specialized care, including treatments for rare cancers. In turn, the Knight Cancer Institute offers access to the latest clinical trials, second opinions from OHSU clinicians, and highly specialized care, such as bone marrow transplant, CAR-T immunotherapy — a form of immunotherapy that uses specially altered T cells, a part of the immune system, to fight cancer — and other unique therapies.

The two organizations have plans to host joint clinical and scientific education events, hold collaborative grand rounds and medical meetings, and offer joint public educational programs to foster collaborative thinking among experts at both institutions. The collaboration offers Saint Alphonsus physicians special access to expertise and resources in the treatment of complex cancers not previously available locally, and patients will experience the confidence and convenience of being able to access leading-edge expertise close to home. 

Brian Druker, M.D. (2017)
Brian Druker, M.D.

“We are delighted to work with the talented team at Saint Alphonsus to provide enhanced cancer care for the residents of Idaho and Oregon,” says Brian Druker, M.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. “The excellent team and patients at Saint Alphonsus will help our physician-scientists learn more about one of the Knight Cancer Institute’s key missions: how to detect, prevent and treat cancers earlier, when they are easier to manage.”

Odette Bolano
Odette Bolano

Odette Bolano, president and CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System, says: “For two decades, the Saint Alphonsus Cancer Institute has been focused on delivering the highest quality oncology services locally. This partnership with the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute brings a higher level of opportunities to our patients. We will now have access to internationally renowned scientists, specialists and an entire team who can collaborate with our physicians and clinical teams to raise the level of care we provide to our patients.” 

Scott Pierson, M.D.
Scott Pierson, M.D.

“The opportunity to be linked up with an academic medical center shows that we are dedicated to providing a higher level of care. That’s our hope: that we always provide the best level of care that we can provide in our community, on par with any cancer center out there,” says Scott Pierson, M.D., Saint Alphonsus Cancer Institute medical director. “We feel this will be a strong collaboration, and the team at the Knight Cancer Institute really wants to make us strong. They see it as a win-win relationship; they’re not just interested in attaching their name to Saint Alphonsus.”

About Saint Alphonsus Health System

Saint Alphonsus Health System is a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of people by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based.  Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through these facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Regional Rehabilitation Hospital – Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at over 70 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 2100 employed and independent providers.  Saint Alphonsus is a proud member of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation.  Trinity Health serves people and communities in 22 states from coast to coast with 94 hospitals and 122 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs, and PACE center locations.  To find out more go to: www.saintalphonsus.org.

As part of this announcement, a public education event is scheduled on Monday, November 11, 2019 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, McCleary Auditorium.  The title of the program is “Ending Cancer As We Know It:  How Saint Alphonsus and the OHSU Knight Cancer Network are working to help patients with cancer in the Treasure Valley”.  For more information, visit www.saintalphonsus.org/cancer-institute.

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