Posted: 4/27/2022
Compassionate care is at the center of the program’s services
The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at Parkland Health. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.
Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, Parkland takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care.
“Being a CoC-accredited cancer center shows the Dallas County community that Parkland has made steps to ensure the supportive services and resources address the full continuum of care available for the individuals we serve,” said Umber Dickerson, Administrative Director of Parkland’s Cancer Program. “We have invested in systems to ensure our cancer patients receive high-quality, coordinated, compassionate care.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.9 million cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2022, with more than 609,000 cancer deaths. That equals about 5,250 new cases per day, with approximately 1,670 deaths.
In 2021, Parkland treated 11,824 oncology patients. The top 10 cancer diagnoses included: breast (16%), colorectal (8%), lung (8%), lymphoma (8%), uterine (6%), liver (5%), prostate (5%), kidney (5%), cervical (4%), and thyroid (3%).
The current core clinical servicers within Parkland’s cancer program include hematology, medical oncology, surgical oncology (upper GI, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, melanoma/sarcoma), breast surgery, gynecologic oncology, palliative care, and oncology behavioral health.
Cancer care at Parkland, which is supported by the clinical expertise of the UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center faculty, has undergone multiple transformative changes during the past six years. In 2015, some of the cancer-related services came together to form the Oncology Service Line. In 2020, the programmatic scope was expanded to include care delivery among the entire Cancer Care Continuum, from prevention and early detection to survivorship and end-of-life care.
For more information on Parkland’s cancer program, please visit www.cancer.parklandhealth.org.
For more information on the services provided at Parkland, please visit our website at www.parklandhealth.org.