KentuckyOne Health Receives Funding From the National Cancer Institute's New Community Oncology Research Program - Archived

 

 

KentuckyOne Health Receives Funding from the National Cancer Institute’s New Community Oncology Research Program

Louisville, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2014)—The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded five-year grants to research groups across the country, including KentuckyOne Health Cancer Care, to conduct multi-site cancer clinical trials and cancer care delivery research studies in their communities.

KentuckyOne Health is a member of the Catholic Health Initiatives Institute for Research and Innovation’s Oncology Research Alliance. The Alliance is comprised of leadership from CHI’s National Oncology Service Line, Institute for Research and Innovation, and participating research sites.

The funding will benefit KentuckyOne Cancer Care services throughout the Commonwealth at the following KentuckyOne Health facilities:

Flaget Memorial Hospital
KentuckyOne Cancer and Blood Specialists
Jewish Hospital
Jewish Hospital Shelbyville
Medical Center Jewish Northeast
Medical Center Jewish South
Saint Joseph East
Saint Joseph Hospital
Saint Joseph London
Saint Joseph Mount Sterling
Sts. Mary's & Elizabeth Hospital

“CHI’s mission seeks to integrate patient care with research and education. Today’s grant announcement recognizes our commitment,” said Kevin Lofton, chief executive officer of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the nation’s largest health systems. “We are delighted and honored to be part of this National Cancer Institute program.”

Added David Fine, president and CEO of CHI’s Institute for Research and Innovation: “The Institute and our physician partners throughout the country are excited to bring the NCI’s clinical research initiatives to the communities we serve.”

The grants are being awarded under the new NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), a national network of investigators, cancer care providers, academic institutions, and other organizations that provide care to diverse populations in community-based health care practices across the U.S. The total program funding is $93 million a year for five years.

“These grants will help our us incorporate new technologies into clinical studies in many communities across the Commonwealth,” said Donald Miller, M.D., PhD., director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, part of KentuckyOne Health. “The studies will improve cancer care for patients and also evaluate the factors that influence the environment in which cancer care is provided and have the potential to improve cancer outcomes and reduce disparities in care.”

“The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a valuable resource for cancer care in the Louisville and the Commonwealth,” said Joe Gilene, president, Jewish Hospital Medical Campus and the KentuckyOne Health Louisville Market. “Securing research funding is an important tool in continuing medical advancements that impact patient outcomes.”

NCORP will design and conduct trials to improve cancer prevention, cancer control, screening, and post-treatment management. The new program will have an emphasis on cancer care delivery research, focusing on diverse and multi-level factors (e.g., social, financing systems, process, technology, and others) that affect access to and quality of care in the community. 

“This award is a significant continuation and expansion of our previous cooperation with the NCI and the expanded emphasis on research and disparities aligns with our collective goals as care providers.  Clinical trials are recognized as best practice in cancer care and this program allows a greater breadth and diversity of opportunities for our patients.”  said Dr. Dax Kurbegov, CHI’s National Oncology Service Line Physician Vice President and Principal Investigator for the CHI grant award.

NCORP replaces two previous NCI community-based clinical research programs, including the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), which funded research-based cancer care in several CHI market. The new program builds on the strengths of the previous programs and aims to better address the most pressing issues affecting the conduct and delivery of care in communities across the nation.

 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana.

 

About Catholic Health Initiatives: Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, expresses its mission each day by creating and nurturing healthy communities in the hundreds of sites across the nation where it provides care. One of the nation’s largest health systems, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI operates in 18 states and comprises 93 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals and 24 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home-health agencies; and other facilities that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. In fiscal year 2013, CHI provided $762 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. Learn more at www.catholichealthinitiatives.org

 

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