by Deb Seminary
Up until about twelve years ago, the Radiation Therapy Center was housed in Medcenter One. Patients from Medcenter One, St. Alexius and the surrounding area were treated there. The machines were in need of upgrading and the cost was tremendous, over 2.5 million dollars. The two hospitals got together and decided it would be in the best interest of the community to have a jointly owned center. The Bismarck Cancer Center served its first patient on October 13th, 1999.
“We feel fortunate to have a very supportive Board of Trustees,” said Amy Gross, Radiation Therapy Manager. “Our board has three members from Medcenter One and three members from St. Alexius. They meet every month, put their differences aside and make decisions based on what is best for the patient. It really works well.”
Having the support of both hospitals also allows the Bismarck Cancer Center to provide top-notch service and keep up with new technologies and treatment options.
The building initially housed one treatment (linear accelerator) machine, but constructed a second bay to accommodate another. “We saw the need, but it was too expensive in the beginning to put in two brand new machines,” said Gross. “We were able to add that second machine in 2007.”
Patients go through a series of steps when they come to the Bismarck Cancer Center. After the initial consultation, the doctor will decide whether radiation therapy is appropriate. If it is, patients will have a CT simulation and treatment plan cat scan ‘simulation’ to determine exactly how the radiation should be administered. After about a week, the patient returns to start their treatment plan.
The Bismarck Cancer Center also provides a variety of wrap-around services for their patients. “A lot of these services are not covered by insurance, which is why our foundation was established in 2007,” said Gross. “We have our REACH Program, and that person meets with each patient within their first week of treatment to check all of their needs: housing, transportation, spiritual, any kind of needs they may have. We also have a dietician available.”
Patients must come for radiation treatment every day, Monday through Friday, generally from four for two to eight weeks. Some patients continue working and drive for treatment from distances over 100 miles away, so the gas costs alone can really add up. “We don’t want to think that a patient would choose not to get treatment because they couldn’t afford it,” said Gross. “We have never turned anyone down because they cannot pay. That is one of the reasons for wanting to make our foundation stronger. It will cover that certain percentage of costs we take care of in those instances.”
The Bismarck Cancer Center provides services to people within a 250-mile radius of Bismarck and has 50-60 new patients consulted each month.
The Bismarck Cancer Center and its recently established foundation are non-profits.
For more information, visit their website at bismarckcancercenter.com