CITY OF HOPE NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

PATIENT CARE: THE MEDICAL CENTER PROVIDES ACUTE-CARE MEDICAL SERVICES FOR PATIENTS BEING TREATED FOR SOME FORM OF CANCER, INCLUDING LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA, COLORECTAL, PROSTATE, GYNECOLOGIC AND BREAST CANCERS. ALL PATIENTS TREATED AT THE MEDICAL CENTER BENEFIT FROM THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING THOSE DERIVED FROM TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, ACHIEVED BY COLLABORATION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE PATIENT CARE TEAMS AND THE SCIENTIFIC AND BENCH RESEARCH ACTIVITIES PERFORMED THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION. SINCE 1976, MORE THAN 20,000 HEMATOPOIETIC (BLOOD) CELL TRANSPLANTATION PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT THE MEDICAL CENTER TO FIGHT LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, MYELOMA AND OTHER CANCERS. TODAY, THE MEDICAL CENTER'S CLINICIANS ARE FURTHERING DEVELOPMENT OF STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION TO TREAT AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. AS A PIONEER IN ROBOTIC SURGERY FOR RECTAL AND PROSTATE CANCER, AND AN EMERGING LEADER IN ROBOTIC SURGERY FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCERS, THE MEDICAL CENTER IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THE FIELD OF MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY. PHYSICIANS AT THE MEDICAL CENTER HAVE ALSO BROKEN NEW GROUND IN EMPLOYING TARGETED RADIATION TREATMENT TECHNIQUES THAT DELIVER DOSES DIRECTLY TO DISEASED TISSUE, MAXIMIZING CANCER-KILLING TREATMENTS WHILE POTENTIALLY MINIMIZING DAMAGE TO PATIENTS' HEALTHY TISSUE. THE SHERI & LES BILLER PATIENT AND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER SERVES AS THE INFORMATION HUB ABOUT OUR COMPREHENSIVE ASSISTANCE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES, OFFERING PATIENT EDUCATION, SUPPORT GROUPS, SOCIAL WORK RESOURCES, MIND-BODY THERAPIES AND PATIENT NAVIGATORS TO ASSIST PEOPLE THROUGH DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY. ITS HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING PSYCHOLOGISTS, PSYCHIATRISTS AND PALLIATIVE CARE PHYSICIANS, PARTNER WITH PATIENTS AND FAMILIES TO ALLEVIATE PAIN AND DISTRESS RELATED TO DISEASE AND TREATMENT. THE MEDICAL CENTER PROVIDES FOR SERVICES THROUGH CHARITY CARE ASSISTANCE FOR PATIENTS MEETING CERTAIN FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY AND CLINICAL CRITERIA AND TO PERSONS WITHOUT INSURANCE OR WHO ARE UNDER-INSURED. THE MEDICAL CENTER ALSO SUBSIDIZES CARE FOR PATIENTS COVERED BY MEDI-CAL AND MEDICARE.

RESEARCH: THE MEDICAL CENTER FUNDS A VARIETY OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON FINDING CURES AND TREATMENTS FOR CANCER AND OTHER LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES FOR WHICH GRANT AND EXTRAMURAL FUNDING IS NOT AVAILABLE. COUPLED WITH THE BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE MEDICAL CENTER HAS A LONG HISTORY OF SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS IN CANCER TREATMENT THERAPIES, DIABETES AND OTHER DISEASES. THE MEDICAL CENTER CONDUCTS MORE THAN 730 CLINICAL TRIALS ANNUALLY, ENROLLING NEARLY 1 IN 4 PATIENTS. MANY OF THESE TRIALS PROVIDE PATIENTS WITH ACCESS TO THE NEWEST TREATMENT APPROACHES, WHICH HELPS DEVELOP THE STANDARD TREATMENTS OF TOMORROW. FOR INSTANCE, THE MEDICAL CENTER WAS THE FIRST INSTITUTION IN THE WORLD TO PERFORM A CLINICAL STUDY USING NEURAL STEM CELLS TO TARGET GLIOMA, A DEADLY FORM OF BRAIN CANCER. THE MEDICAL CENTER HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A NATIONAL CENTER FOR ISLET CELL TRANSPLANTATION. THE MEDICAL CENTER IS ALSO MAKING MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF HIV/AIDS THROUGH RESEARCH INTO HOW TO STOP THE VIRUS' INFECTION OF CELLS. THE MEDICAL CENTER PROVIDES INSTITUTIONALLY FUNDED RESEARCH GRANTS TO DEVELOP NOVEL IDEAS THAT HAVE NOT YET REACHED A MATURITY LEVEL NECESSARY TO SECURE EXTRAMURAL FUNDING. MEDICAL CENTER FACULTY AND STAFF SERVE AS CONTRIBUTORY MEMBERS FOR NATIONAL POLICY AND REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES. THEY ALSO PROVIDE THEIR EXPERTISE TO REVIEW GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES AND SERVE AS MEMBERS OF EDITORIAL BOARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS. THE MEDICAL CENTER'S DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION SCIENCES ALSO REACHES OUT AND SEEKS TO REDUCE THE BURDEN OF CANCER ACROSS ALL POPULATIONS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS IN CARE, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES AND RISKS OF CANCER AND DISPARITIES IN CANCER OUTCOMES IN VARIOUS POPULATIONS, POPULATION SCIENCE PERSONNEL EXAMINE AND INVESTIGATE GENETIC MARKERS LINKED TO CANCER RISK, SEEKING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. THROUGH THE CENTER FOR CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, SPECIALIZED, LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP CARE IS PROVIDED FOR CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS CRITICAL RESEARCH IS SHARED WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS.