Ann Ford (Photo provided by Brightshores)
Brightshores Health System says they’re going to keep helping cancer patients in the region, and are setting their sights on recruiting a new oncologist.
While speaking at Bruce County council on November 21st, Brightshores President and CEO Ann Ford said that the health system felt it was unfortunate that some cancer patients in the region will have to be referred to other regions.
“There were 23,000 [cancer] patients with us last year; if they’re still with us, they’ll stay with us. So anyone who was a patient with Brightshores for their oncology care will stay with Brightshores,” said Ford.
Although patients currently receiving chemotherapy treatment locally, Brightshores is reaching out to neighbouring health systems to help with local patients who are new referrals, who require radiation therapy and specialized surgery.
“We get over 600 referrals a year for oncology services,” said Ford. “…Lung, breast, and colorectal [cancers] are about 55-58% of those referrals, so we’re going to maintain those folks. The other 40-some-odd percent, we are looking to our partners east and south and kind of southeast to support for a temporary time as we try to recruit a new oncologist.”
There are currently two oncologists employed by Brightshores, and the organization has been in talks with potential candidates for a third spot on the roster.
While they look to fill that opening, they’ve had doctors come in temporarily, but typically those doctors leave after a brief time.
“The problem we have with when someone comes in as a locum is that they may be here for a month, and then they go. And so what happens to those new patients when they’ve seen that locum and now they don’t have another medical oncologist to see? [We’re] working very hard with the Southwest Regional Cancer Centre, so what we’re looking at is, based on postal code, we believe that the majority of these patients will be going to London. But if we have someone in Thornbury, it makes sense for them to got to Barrie.”
She explained that new patients will be referred for a consultation.
“If they do need chemotherapy they will still go to Owen Sound. We have the capacity to take on chemo patients. We do not do radiation therapy — it is my vision to actually have radiation therapy to come to this region — but if someone already needs radiation therapy or specialized cancer surgery, they will typically go to London, so that will stay in place. But if they need chemo they will be able to come back to Owen Sound.”