Friday, December 30, 2005

WAL-MART Surpasses $300 Million Raised for CMN

Locally Wal-Mart associates and customers have raised more than$572,753 for Faxton-St. Luke’s HealthcareFaxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare and Children’s Miracle Network announced today that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has reached an incredible milestone in the organization’s history – donating and raising more than $300 million for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in 18 years. Donations made to Children’s Miracle Network directly benefit 170 children’s hospitals in North America including Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. Participation by Wal-Mart in Utica this year has grown to five Wal-Mart stores and a Distribution Center, providing a very large support base for Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare.“Wal-Mart’s associate-based fund raising is unprecedented,” said Mick Shannon, co-founder of Children’s Miracle Network. “In addition to contributions made through the Wal-Mart & SAM’S CLUB Foundation, associates nationwide band together every year to carry out grassroots fund raising efforts at their locations to help local children’s hospitals – and they engage customers and community to take part. It’s a unique approach that works extremely well.” Through bake sales, softball and golf tournaments, selling Children’s Miracle Network balloons and other activities Wal-Mart and SAM’S CLUB efforts have helped fund programs, services and equipment that provides direct patient care to local women and children.Sharra Decker, mother of then four-month-old Elissa White, knows first-hand the importance of having a CMN hospital in our community. Elissa was diagnosed with viral meningitis las September and was admitted to the Pediatric Unit at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. “Elissa was in the hospital for three days,” Sharra said. “It was a very stressful time for our family. I had to be strong and close to home for my other two daughters. The staff was strong for me. The nurses and child life specialist were a great support team.” Today Elissa is a healthy and happy eleven-month-old who always has a smile on her face.“Wal-Mart associates have a strong commitment to give back and help others,” said Betsy Reithemeyer, vice president of Wal-Mart Corporate Affairs. “One hundred percent of the dollars raised for Children’s Miracle Network stays within the communities where funds are donated, which is in step with our philosophy of giving back locally. It is our customers and associates who help make miracles possible each year for the children at these hospitals.” "We are so fortunate to have the support of Wal-Mart,” said Andrea LaGatta, Children’s Miracle Network Coordinator. “The nurses, physicians, staff and the children at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare thank Wal-Mart associates and customers in our area for supporting the hospital and Children’s Miracle Network and for making miracles a reality in our community.” Sharra Decker is thankful for the care they received during her daughter’s illness and is anxious to give back to an organization that has been so generous to her. About Faxton-St. Luke’s HealthcareSince 1992, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare has worked diligently to help children and their families who come to Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. In 2004, more than $500,000 was raised from individuals, corporations, businesses, and civic groups to treat children suffering from illnesses and recovering from accidents at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. Without CMN funding, these children and their families would often times have to travel to Syracuse or Albany for treatment. CMN dollars raised in the Mohawk Valley provide services, state-of-the-art equipment, and the comfort of being close to home, family and friends. To learn more go to http://www.faxtonstlukes.com/.About Children’s Miracle NetworkChildren's Miracle Network—the alliance of premier hospitals for children—is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals across North America. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind. To learn more go to http://www.cmn.org/.

Regional Cancer Program Receives Three-Year Approval

Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Regional Cancer Program Receives Three-Year Approval by American College of Surgeons(Utica, NY) The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted its three-year approval with seven commendations to the Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Regional Cancer Center Program. “We are thrilled by the three-year approval with seven commendations for our Cancer Program,” commented Mary Kate Schuster, Cancer Program Director. “Our ability to provide exceptional cancer treatment with a dedicated and talented staff is what helped contribute to the overall success of the survey.” The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 1.3 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2005. There are currently more than 1,400 CoC-Approved Cancer Programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which represent 25 percent of all U.S. hospitals. This 25 percent diagnose and/or treat 80 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients each year.Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standard-setting, and monitoring the quality of cancer care. Its membership includes Fellows of the America College of Surgeons and 40 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care.The CoC’s sets standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the 36 CoC standards; collecting standardized and quality data from approved facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state and local level. “The Approval Program of the Commission on Cancer sets the quality-of-care standards for cancer programs. The organization reviews the programs to make sure they conform to those standards. The standards are high and we are very pleased our Cancer Center Program at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare received approval with the commendations. It’s a compliment to our staff and their commitment to quality patient care,” stated Keith A. Fenstemacher, President/CEO.Approval by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. Facilities with CoC-Approved Cancer Programs must undergo an on-site review every three years.Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer Approved Cancer Program ensures that a patient will have access to:
  • Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
  • A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
  • Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
  • Access to cancer-related information, education, and support
  • A cancer registry that collects data on type and state of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
  • Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care And, most importantly
  • Quality care close to home
patient data, including the data from patients at The Regional Cancer Center, are reported by each CoC-Approved Cancer Programs to the CoC’s National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program with the American Cancer Society. The NCDB currently contains patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment and outcomes information for more than 16 million cancer patients diagnosed and treated at hospital cancer programs in the U.S. between 1985 and 2003. The data accounts for approximately two-thirds of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the U.S. each year.