Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber) and Lifespan Health System have signed a letter of intent to enter into a partnership in Rhode Island. The goal of this innovative arrangement is to elevate the level of cancer treatment for patients seeking care at Lifespan-affiliated institutions, and to benefit both organizations' clinical, teaching and research missions.
As envisioned, the partnership will provide a seamless system of care for patients needing treatment for rare and complex cancers. It will also facilitate access for Lifespan cancer patients to a broader array of clinical trials, and to emerging and novel cancer therapies.
"In addition to the specific benefits for appropriate patients, making clinical trials more widely available will also help hasten the development of new therapies," said Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D., president of Dana-Farber. "We are excited to begin developing a thoughtful and unique partnership with the superb system of caregivers and researchers at Lifespan."
"We share a deep interest in developing a top notch, patient-centered, cost-effective and seamless cancer care delivery system for the region," said Timothy Babineau, M.D., president and CEO of Lifespan. "I can't think of a better partner to collaborate with than Dana-Farber."
As cancer treatment advances and patient outcomes improve, the institutions will gain considerable expertise in treating cancer as a chronic condition, with a focus on the special circumstances associated with cancer survivorship.
The Dana-Farber/Lifespan partnership will be supported, in part, by a similar electronic health record system (Epic platform) that will enhance the use of cancer care pathways, reduce clinical redundancies and facilitate patients' participation in their care.
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About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care. Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute's work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world.
About Lifespan
Lifespan is a five-partner not-for-profit health system based in Providence, R.I. Formed in 1994, Lifespan includes three teaching hospitals of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University: Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children's Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; and Bradley Hospital, the nation's first psychiatric hospital for children. It also includes Newport Hospital, a community hospital offering a broad range of health services, and Gateway Healthcare, the state's largest provider of community behavioral health care. Lifespan teaching hospitals are among the top recipients in the country of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The hospitals received nearly $81 million in external research funding in fiscal 2012. All Lifespan-affiliated partners are charitable organizations that depend on support from the community to provide programs and services.