In October of 2018, UCSF Health and John Muir Health announced that they’d signed a letter of intent to create a cancer network in the East Bay dedicated to improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This new cancer network will enhance disease-specific treatment capabilities, expanded clinical trial enrollment, and precision medicine offerings.
Keep reading to learn how this innovative cancer network will impact and improve your clients’ health outcomes and quality of life.
Growing Demand in the East Bay
As Bay Area residents age, the region is experiencing higher incidents of cancer, which is reflected in increased demand for short- and long-term cancer care. To help meet this demand, UCSF Health and John Muir Health are developing a highly coordinated cancer network to better diagnose, refer, and transfer patients living with this debilitating disease. Further, electronic medical records will be shared throughout the network, providing patients and clinicians easier and better access to coordinated care.
“The treatment of cancer is complex and unique to every patient. This level of complexity requires a team-based approach with physicians, nurses, nurse navigators and other health care professionals collaborating to provide expert care from diagnosis through treatment and beyond,” said Cal Knight, president and chief executive officer at John Muir Health.
The East Bay Cancer Network
While the agreement includes plans for the two entities to work together to establish multiple cancer care facilities throughout the East Bay (eventually serving the region’s more than two million residents), the first step in the process is to develop a world-class cancer outpatient facility at John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek campus. This new cancer center will offer comprehensive treatment services, including:
- Radiation Oncology
- Infusion Therapy
- Genetic Counseling
- Nurse Navigators
- Survivorship Support
- Diagnostic Imaging
This new collaboration leverages the multidisciplinary strengths of both organizations while encouraging East Bay residents to receive excellent care in their own community.
A Continued Partnership
The East Bay Cancer Network will continue the growing collaboration between UCSF Health and John Muir Health, which has been thriving since 2015 when the two organizations joined together (along with Hill Physicians Medical Group and Meritage Medical Network) to form Canopy Health. Today, that organization now includes nearly 5,000 doctors, 18 hospitals, and dozens of care centers across eight Bay Area counties, including:
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Marin
- San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- Solano
- Sonoma
As the relationship between UCSF Health and John Muir Health continues to grow, the two organizations are better able to complement one another and leverage their strengths to provide even better, more convenient access to their world-class physicians, hospitals, and outpatient care centers.
“We are very pleased to be expanding our collaboration with John Muir Health in the effort to provide patients with precise diagnoses and the highest quality care, in the most comforting, convenient environment possible,” said Mark Laret, chief executive officer and president of UCSF Health.
