Marin Cancer Institute Receives Outstanding Achievement Award
The Marin Cancer Institute, the community cancer program operated by Marin General Hospital since 1992, has been awarded a 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award by the nationally recognized American College of Surgeons, making it the only Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program in the Bay Area to be given the prestigious honor this year.
“Our cancer care team was thrilled to learn of this honor, because it speaks to the quality of our program. This has tremendous meaning not only for our patients and their families, but also for our staff,” said Lloyd Miyawaki, MD, Medical Director of the Marin Cancer Institute.
A nationally recognized organization that surveys cancer programs, the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons announced the award March 12. The Marin Cancer Institute (MCI) became eligible for the award as a result of earning nine commendations (out of nine possible) during an approval process last year, after which the program received three-year CoC approval (equivalent to accreditation).
No San Francisco hospital currently holds an Outstanding Achievement Award. Among Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Programs in the Bay Area, only Good Samaritan Hospital of San Jose holds a current Outstanding Achievement Award, granted in 2008. (Two other Bay Area hospitals received achievement awards in 2009 but only the MCI program is deemed “comprehensive” by the CoC. The other recipients are Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Napa, and the San Pablo campus of Doctors Medical Center in Contra Costa County.)
The Marin Cancer Institute is a leader in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, supportive care and follow-up of all forms of cancer. Complementary therapies are also offered. Two of the Institute’s signature programs are its Breast Health Program and Prostate Cancer Program. Patients come from throughout the Bay Area and the nation.
The majority of U.S. cancer programs, caring for about 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients, seek CoC approval. In the Bay Area, most major cancer treatment facilities are approved. The Outstanding Achievement Awards, however, are only given to about 20 percent of approved programs.
“This is a collective award recognizing everyone here who is involved in cancer care – the surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, nurses, technicians and volunteers,” said Linda Tavaszi, Executive Director, Physician Services and the Marin Cancer & Heart Institutes at Marin General Hospital. “The Outstanding Achievement Award acknowledges that our program has the highest quality standards, as well as expertly trained staff and a caring and supporting environment. All of these factors contribute to positive clinical outcomes and to the physical and emotional well-being of our patients and their families.”
Tavaszi continued: “We know that the Marin Cancer Institute is one of the finest programs of its kind, where the very latest in diagnostic tools, treatment technologies and treatment options are combined with a caring, personal approach. Winning the Outstanding Achievement Award is an unbiased, third-party confirmation of this quality – a mark of excellence. It also underscores the professionalism and dedication of the physicians, staff and volunteers who care for our cancer patients.”
The ACS Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations in the field of cancer dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through the setting of standards, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care.
March 24, 2009