Beebe Healthcare’s Tunnell Cancer Center Receives National Outstanding Achievement Award from American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer
Award recognizes cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing highest quality care to cancer patients.
Beebe Healthcare’s Tunnell Cancer Center recently was presented with the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Beebe is one of a select group of only 75 U.S. healthcare facilities out of 588 CoC-accredited Comprehensive Community Cancer Centers to receive this national honor for surveys performed in 2014. The award acknowledges cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.
“This outstanding achievement is a credit to everyone at Tunnell Cancer Center, as well as those at Beebe who care and treat patients with cancer,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, President and CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “It reflects the commitment and compassion of our team members who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the lives of every patient they treat. With advancements in technology and medicine, cancer has become a chronic disease for many, and the members of our multidisciplinary team not only focus on the care they provide, but on the hope they are able to bring to their patients.
“While Tunnell Cancer Center has continually, over many years, received accreditation with commendation from the Commission on Cancer, this award recognizes the team’s attention to detail and to continuously improving processes that allow us to provide our patients with care, treatment and the emotional support that focuses on producing the best possible outcomes.
“I also want to recognize the dedication and commitment of so many volunteers who make such a difference in the lives of our patients and in the care that we provide.”
The purpose of the award is to raise awareness of the importance of providing quality cancer care at healthcare institutions throughout the United States. Tunnell Cancer Center was evaluated on 34 program standards, and further evaluated on seven commendation standards. To be eligible, all award recipients must have received commendation ratings in all seven commendation standards, in addition to receiving a compliance rating for each of the 27 other standards.
Tunnell Cancer Center was granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation for the fourth time in a row in February 2015.
“This award is truly a great honor and I am so proud to be part of this team of dedicated professionals,” says Cherrie Rich, RN, MSN, Executive Director of Oncology Services for Beebe Healthcare. “Our multidisciplinary team focuses on providing the latest in cancer treatment to our patients, and reporting information accurately to the National Cancer Institute on the types of treatment, outcomes and survival data so that we can benchmark the care we provide against the national standard of care.”
Tunnell Cancer Center opened in November of 1995 at Beebe’s main campus in Lewes with two oncologists and a handful of staff. Following more than a decade of growth, in 2006, the center moved into its present modern and spacious location at the Beebe Health Campus on John J. Williams Highway in Rehoboth Beach. Today, it is served by 11 oncology specialist physicians and surgeons, two mid-level providers, and more than 90 team members. More than 200 patients come to Tunnell Cancer Center every day. In 2014, Beebe and Nanticoke Cancer Care Center in Seaford entered into an agreement to provide the same level of care and access to clinical trials available to patients of Tunnell Cancer Center to those who reside in western Sussex County.
Tunnell Cancer Center provides progressive, compassionate, and comprehensive care. It offers patients the latest in chemotherapy/infusion services and radiation treatments, as well as dietary and genetic counseling, wellness coaching, care coordination/navigation, rehab services, cancer screening programs, educational materials , support groups and outreach programs. Its patients also have the opportunity to participate in clinical research trials used to study the latest breakthroughs in cancer treatment through the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Since 1995, 12,356 newly diagnosed patients have received treatment at Tunnell Cancer Center.
Like all CoC-accredited facilities, Tunnell Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care. CoC-accredited cancer centers, in turn, have access to information derived from this type of data analysis, which is used to create national, regional, and state benchmark reports. These reports help CoC facilities with their quality improvement efforts.
Beebe Healthcare’s Breast Health Program also is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Health Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Beebe offers digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), also known as 3D mammography, as part of the Breast Health Program at the Beebe Health Campus in Rehoboth, and soon to the Beebe Health Campus in Georgetown.
More information about Tunnell Cancer Center and about overall cancer care at Beebe can be found in the annual report on the Beebe Healthcare website at /patient-care-services/beebes-tunnell-cancer-center or by calling the center at (302) 645-3770. For a list of all cancer programs in the U.S. that received the award in 2014 visit: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/accredited/about/outstanding/2014
About the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. The CoC provides the public with information on the resources, services and cancer treatment experience for each CoC-accredited cancer program. The CoC’s accreditation program encourages hospitals, treatment centers, and other facilities to improve their quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs. For more information on the CoC, visit: https://www.facs.org/quality%20programs/cancer/coc
About Beebe Healthcare
Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. It offers services throughout Southern Delaware for residents and visitors, including a 210-licensed-bed hospital, a cancer center, and outpatient facilities providing walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehab services. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebehealthcare.org.