Cancer Care

On Thursday, May 10, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal held its annual Health Care Heroes Awards. The ceremony and awards highlight the individuals in the Silicon Valley health care industry: doctors, nurses, CEOs and others who have improved the way the health system works in the valley’s hospitals, labs, start-ups, nonprofits and universities. The 2012 winners were announced at the awards breakfast held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, and this year, there were three finalists from Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF).

Dr. David Quincy, Frank delaRama, RN, and Dr. Albert Chan

 PAMF 2012 Health Care Hero Award Finalist and Winners

David R. Quincy, M.D., M.P.H., “Administrator” Health Care Hero Award

In addition to being Regional Medical Director for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation since 2008, and a board certified Family Medicine physician, David Quincy, M.D., is the medical director of the Mountain View RotaCare Clinic.

Dr. David Quincy and Dr. Jane Varner

During his tenure at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Dr. Quincy has served on the board of directors, as department chair of Family Medicine, as After-Hours Primary Care program director, and as site leader at the Santa Clara Center for five years. Dr. Quincy has also been involved in numerous committees, and has been department chief and vice-chief at El Camino Hospital.

Dr. Quincy has maintained a concurrent commitment to people in need. For 15 years (since 1997) Dr. Quincy has served as medical director of the RotaCare Free Clinic inMountain View.   This clinic provides care to the growing population of working and unemployed residents who are unable to pay for primary health care. All RotaCare health care services are free to the patient including medical exams, diagnostic testing, lab testing, and pharmaceuticals. The organization is volunteer driven, and “employs” more than 1,000 medical and non-medical volunteers.

Albert Chan, M.D., M.S., “Future Leader” Health Care Hero Award

Dr. Chan goes to the stage to receive his award.

Albert Chan, M.D. has combined his talent in medicine and his dedication to patient care with his exceptional knowledge of information technology. As a board certified Family Medicine doctor,  he regularly sees patients, and combines his personalized care with technology to improve medical care and empower patients – promoting patient-centered decision support, online disease management, and leads the optimization of clinician use of electronic health records at PAMF and throughout the Sutter Health network of care.

A pioneering advocate of the value of electronic health records, Dr. Chan is physician champion of the electronic health record and e-health for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.  He currently serves as Chief Medical Information Officer of the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, Medical Director of the David Druker Center for Health Systems Innovation, and Medical Director of My Health Online (formerly known as PAMFOnline) for Sutter Physician Services. Dr. Chan also headed up the creation and implementation of the My Health Online mobile formats via the MyChart app on both Android and Apple devices. More than 70 percent of PAMF’s patients are using My Health Online.

Frank delaRama, RN, “Nursing” Health Care Hero Award Finalist

A nurse navigator in the Cancer Care Department of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Frank delaRama, RN, is wholly dedicated in his daily work to helping people through their cancer journey.

Frank delaRama with PAMF CEO Dr. Richard Slavin

Frank likens himself to a GPS system, helping prostate and breast cancer patients find the best route to take for their journey. He deeply and genuinely cares about his patients, their families, and their futures.

He is founder and chair of PAMF’s Cancer Patient Advisory Board, which is comprised and lead by cancer patients and survivors. He also helped create PAMF’s Prostate Cancer Buddy Program – which puts men in touch with each other as they navigate the prostate cancer decisionmaking and journey. Frank is also a member of Sutter Health’s Cancer Service Line Prostate Committee, with an NIH-funded study underway exploring shared-decision making in prostate cancer treatment, as facilitated by a nurse navigator.

As an Oncology/Genomics Clinical Nurse Specialist (Navigator), Frank provides all cancer genetics counseling services for the multi-specialty group practice; he has done more than 500 genetic counseling sessions to date. He also provides all prostate cancer navigator services for about 125 new patients every year, with continuing services aimed toward survivorship care. He is also an active blogger on Sutter Health’s My Life Stages with his “Prostate Cancer: A Family Affair” blog.

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Cancer patients, survivors, families and the community are invited to join the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Mountain View on Saturday, October 22 and Santa Cruz on Saturday, October 29 for two free programs dedicated to increasing awareness about cancer, prevention and survivorship. The events titled,  Breast Cancer — From Prevention to Survivorship, will include speakers and refreshments.

About the Mountain View Event

October 22, 2011
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“Newest Research on Prevention of Breast Cancer and other Cancers”
Speaker: Marcia Stefanick, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine

“Genes and Cancer”
Speaker: Edmund Tai, M.D., Palo Alto Medical Foundation Hematology & Oncology

Location:
PAMF Mountain View Center
701 E. El Camino Real, Conference Rooms C & D
Mountain View
Google Map to Mountain View Center

Register online or call 650-934-7373 to register for the Mountain View event.

About the Santa Cruz Event

October 29, 2011
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Cancer and Nutrition: Separating Fact from Fiction”
Speaker: Katie Lang, R.D., Palo Alto Medical Foundation Nutrition

“One Mutant Cell”
Keynote Guest Speaker: Kathy LaTour, editor at large for CURE magazine. LaTour uses humor in recounting her cancer journey in her one-woman show One Mutant Cell.

Location:
PAMF Santa Cruz– Commercial Crossing Office
2850 Commercial Crossing
Santa Cruz
Google Map to Commercial Crossing

Register online or call 831-479-6629 to register for the Santa Cruz event.

Learn more about Cancer Care at PAMF – including classes and workshops for people with cancer, their families and caregivers.

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In honor of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center (SMSC) and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation will host the 10th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, September 17, 2011 in Santa Cruz, California. The event is free and open to the community. The event provides an extremely important prostate cancer screening opportunity for those men in the community who otherwise may not have access to screenings.

According to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in American men. It is the second greatest cause of cancer related death for men, second only to lung cancer. Over 90 percent of prostate cancer cases are found while the cancer is still either local or regional, and nearly 100 percent of these men are still alive five years after being diagnosed. In cases where the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, 34 percent survive five years.

Event Information:

Free blood work (PSA test) and prostate exams 7 – 11 a.m.

Free one hour lecture 8 – 10 a.m., “Prostate Cancer: What every man should know about screening, treatment and prevention.” Lecture presented by Steven Roberts, M.D., a urologist and surgical oncologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.




Are you at risk for prostate cancer?

You may be at higher risk, if you:

  • Have a family history of cancer
  • Are African American
  • Eat a high-fat diet
  • Are overweight
  • Have a sedentary lifestyle
  • Are over 50 years of age

Who should be tested?

  • All men should have a baseline PSA

How often should I be tested?

  • Men over 50 years old should have an annual exam
  • Men under 50 with risk factors also need to be tested

Learn more about Prostate Cancer:

PAMF Prostate Cancer Website

National Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Website

Visit Prostate Cancer: A Family Affair, PAMF Prostate Cancer Nurse Navigator and patient advocate Frank dela Rama, RN’s new blog on Sutter Health’s MyLifeStages.org.

Event Date and Location:
Saturday, September 17, 2011
7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
2900 Chanticleer Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Google Map

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