ThedaCare recently marked a decade of delivering care at ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center, reflecting on the high-quality, innovative services it continues to provide patients and their families across northeast and central Wisconsin.
The building, located on the Encircle Health Campus, opened in 2016. It serves as a home base for the ThedaCare Cancer Care program.
“Over the past decade, our Cancer Center team has walked alongside thousands of patients, supporting them and their families from diagnosis, through treatment and into survivorship,” said Lydia Gonzales Ryan, Vice President, ThedaCare Cancer Services-North Region. “During this time – with our patients, their families and our communities always top of mind – we have continued to strengthen and expand access to cancer care across our region in meaningful and measurable ways.”
That includes advancing the center’s cancer research capabilities, expanding patient access to clinical trials, making new technology available to the area, recruiting highly-skilled medical experts and achieving national certifications, accreditations and awards.
Research and Clinical Trials
“We have significantly broadened our cancer research and clinical trial portfolio to include cancer control and delivery research, pharmaceutical innovation, advanced treatment trials and more,” Gonzales Ryan said. “This expansion ensures patients have access to groundbreaking therapies close to home – often before they are widely available – offering hope, options and personalized pathways forward.”
To that end, the Cancer Center team has developed and completed six Tumor Site-Specific Centers of Excellence over the last decade, including for:
- Breast cancers
- Head and neck cancers
- Gastrointestinal cancers
- Thoracic cancers
- Hematologic malignancies
- Genitourinary cancers
“These multidisciplinary programs standardize best practices, align specialists and measure outcomes to continuously elevate and help improve the patient experience,” Gonzales Ryan said. “By bringing experts together around each tumor site, we ensure patients receive coordinated, evidence-based care that is tailored to their specific diagnosis.”
Achieving and Maintaining Accreditations
In addition to developing its Centers of Excellence, the Cancer Center team has a 10-year history of attaining and maintaining key accreditations, reinforcing ThedaCare’s commitment to quality, safety and continuous improvement, said Dr. Joseph Bovi, Radiation Oncologist and Physician Chief of ThedaCare Cancer Care.
That includes accreditations from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), Radiation Oncology Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx) and Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Certification, among others.
“These recognitions reflect our dedication to delivering care that meets rigorous national standards,” Dr. Bovi said. “Ultimately that translates to enhanced cancer care for our patients, their families and the communities we serve.”
The Cancer Center team continues to maintain a patient-centered approach to care. The last 10 years have served to reinforce that focus, Gonzales Ryan said.
“Cancer care does not end when treatment does. As part of our patient-centered focus, we thoughtfully designed and expanded Survivorship Services to support our patients in ‘finding a new normal’,” she said. “These programs address the physical, emotional and practical challenges that can follow a cancer diagnosis, empowering survivors and their loved ones with education, support and the necessary tools to help them thrive beyond treatment.”
The ThedaCare Cancer Care Survivorship Program provides a network of support as patients move through their own post-diagnosis journey. It provides patients opportunities to connect with individuals walking in their shoes, education around ideas such as managing side-effects, healthy eating, exercise and emotional and spiritual support. The program focuses on celebrating patients and families along the way.
Investing in Technology and Therapies
The past decade has been one highlighted by the Cancer Center’s continued investment in leading-edge technologies and treatment solutions to help better ensure patients receive exceptional cancer care close to where they live, Dr. Bovi said.
A snapshot of technological innovations and treatments at the Cancer Center over the last decade includes:
- CyberKnife Radiotherapy
- Robotic-assisted surgical offerings
- BiTE (Bispecific T-cell Engager) therapy options
- Radiopharmaceutical treatments
- Advanced precision radiation and systemic therapies
“These advancements enable us to offer highly targeted treatments with greater precision, fewer side effects and improved outcomes,” Dr. Bovi said. “And our ability to help localize such advanced care helps reduce long-distance travel for our patients, keeping them near their support systems, which may help improve their overall health care experience.”
Foundation Support
ThedaCare is proud to mark a decade of care at ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center, Gonzales Ryan said. She highlighted the support of partners such as the ThedaCare Family of Foundations. The group’s support was pivotal in the development of the Cancer Center. Through the ThedaCare Family of Foundation’s efforts, the community generously contributed nearly $7 million toward construction of the building.
“Our collective success has been made possible through the generosity of our community,” Gonzales Ryan said. “Donors to the ThedaCare Family of Foundations helped bring this care vision to life. And they continue to actively work with donors to support current survivorship programs, cancer research, innovative cancer care equipment and technology, and more.”
She also acknowledged the support and dedication of team members and patients and their families.
“Every day, our caregivers personalize treatment plans, celebrate milestones like survivorship bell ringings and support patients and their families as they navigate life during and after cancer,” Gonzales Ryan said. “To our patients, families, caregivers, researchers and community partners, thank you for trusting us over the last decade,” she said. “We are honored to continue walking this journey with you and plan to keep doing so over the next 10 years and beyond.”
For more information about ThedaCare Cancer Care services, visit ThedaCare.org/services/cancer-and-blood-disorders/.
About ThedaCare
For more than 115 years, ThedaCare® has been improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in northeast and central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 650,000 residents in 17 counties, and employs approximately 7,000 providers and team members at 180 points of care, including 10 hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique, best lives. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, find solutions together, and encourage health awareness and action. ThedaCare is part of Froedtert ThedaCare, Wisconsin’s most comprehensive health care system.