We at the Swedish Cancer Institute are excited about the new True Family Women’s Cancer Center, located in downtown Seattle, which opens on June 5. Recognizing that women may have unique needs when faced with a cancer diagnosis, the True Center brings together multiple specialists who treat women with all types of cancer and provide care that is compassionate, caring, and highly coordinated. It is funded entirely by philanthropy.
The True Center is located on floors 5 and 6 of the Arnold Pavilion at 1221 Madison. Floor 5 will house medical oncology teams, our psychiatrist, social workers, genetic counselors, naturopathic physicians, nutritionists, The Rivkin Ovarian Cancer Center Clinic offices, a patient education satellite, our American Cancer Society Patient Navigator, and a financial counselor. The 6th floor will be the home to our multidisciplinary clinic, which will house our breast surgery teams, cancer rehabilitation physician, physical therapists, and social worker. Also on Floor 6 will be gynecological oncology consultations and specialized breast imaging. Other specialists may also be available to see patients in the multidisciplinary clinic.
The co-location of these services allows for improved patient convenience and enhanced communication among the members of care provision teams. Instead of having a single nurse navigator, we have chosen to provide care coordination expertise from multiple staff members. Each patient is assisted in developing her team of care providers. We believe that this approach will give women cancer patients every possible advantage by making a timely accurate diagnosis, developing an individualized treatment plan, and providing access to coordinated, comprehensive care. We have also been designing changes to our traditional processes, small and large, to make our systems more user friendly and more easily accessible. Some of these changes will be rolled out immediately and others will be implemented over time.
It is particularly exciting that this center has been entirely funded by community donors giving gifts at every level of funding. This is a great community resource. Please come and visit us, and let us know what you think!
