Avera McKennan Granted $2,492,032
For First-of-its-Kind Cancer Treatment for the Region
From the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
Feb. 23, 2010 (Sioux Falls) - Avera announced today that its tertiary care center in Sioux Falls, Avera McKennan Hospital, has received $2,492,032 in funding over two years from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to implement first-of-its-kind cancer treatment in the region.
The treatment, intra-operative electron-beam radiation therapy, uses a mobile device to deliver high-dose radiation to tumors during surgery. "This therapy is not available anywhere in South Dakota and only can be found at 12 other locations in the United States," explained David Erickson, MD, Avera's chief medical officer. "This type of radiation delivered through other methods is not available closer than 230 miles from Sioux Falls. The therapy will be a great benefit to many cancer patients in the region," he added.
The therapy primarily will be used for breast cancer, and to a lesser extent to treat ovarian and colorectal cancers. It has been shown to:
- Eliminate the need for three to five treatments of conventional radiation
- Speed recovery times
- Improve tumor control and long-term survival rates
In the rural Midwest, this therapy will save significant drive time, stress and expense to cancer patients. Dr. Wade Dosch, one of two surgeons and three radiation oncologists involved in the project, explained the value of the treatment for women with breast cancer, "It is heartbreaking to watch a woman choose to have a mastectomy because she cannot tolerate the time commitment required of radiation therapy after breast conservation. Offering a treatment that will decrease post-operative radiation visits will help women decide to pursue breast conservation instead of mastectomy."
Funds will be used primarily to assist with equipment and implementation. A clinical research coordinator also will be employed to conduct clinical research trials. The therapy and clinical trials are scheduled to begin in conjunction with the opening of the Avera Cancer Institute on the Avera McKennan Campus in Fall 2010.
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust provides funding for innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to specialty medical care, provide the latest medical therapies and facilitate programs for underserved populations that place particular stress on existing health care facilities and local governments. The $2,492,032 in funding is part of the Helmsley Rural Health Program, which over the past two years awarded more than $20 million in grants to institutions and organizations in the upper Midwest.
About the Avera Cancer Institute
The Avera Cancer Institute opened in May of 1991 as the first freestanding, comprehensive cancer care center in the Sioux Falls region. It moves to a new, state-of-the-art facility in October 2010. The Avera Cancer Institute is part of Avera McKennan Hospital, a 545-bed tertiary-care hospital. It is part of the Avera system, which provides high-quality care at nearly 300 locations and 97 communities in the five-state region. Avera is nationally recognized for its revolutionary Avera eCARE™ model that is transforming the delivery of rural health care. The model leverages expert staff and innovative technologies to deliver specialty care at the local level throughout the region, keeping patients near their homes.
About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Trust, established in 1999, is administered by five trustees selected by Leona Helmsley as a continuation of Mr. and Mrs. Helmsley's generous giving through their lifetimes. The Trust supports a diverse range of organizations with a major focus on health and medical research, in addition to programs in human services, education and conservation. The Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective nonprofits. Earlier this year, the Trust announced $136 million in grants to charitable organizations across the United States and abroad.
