Basic HTML Version
I N S I D E
2
Could It BeDepression?
ValleyCare’s Legends unit offers hope
when late-life depression strikes
3
About Arthritis
A lot can be done to improve quality
of life and reduce symptoms
4
ChristmasTree Lane
Make plans to attend:
Nov. 15, 16, 17
Taking Charge
of Breast Cancer
T
oday everyone is touched by
cancer—if not personally, then we
all know someone who has had
cancer. In fact, 1 in 8 women in the U.S.
will develop breast cancer.
A breast cancer diagnosis can be
frightening, and moving through the
care process sometimes feels complex
and confusing. In our desire to make this difficult time easier and
more comfortable for our patients and their families, ValleyCare’s
Breast Center of Excellence offers education and guidance,
state-of-the-art imaging and treatment modalities, and follow-up,
all in a supportive and caring environment.
BREAST CANCER PATIENT NAVIGATOR
When Doris Coe, a 68-year-old widow from Antioch, learned she had
breast cancer last fall, she sat in the ValleyCare Women’s Imaging
Center in disbelief and in tears. Before she knew it, Mary Prishtina,
RN, OCN, CBPN-IC, was at her side. Prishtina is ValleyCare’s
certified breast cancer patient navigator.
“I don’t know how she knew I was there, but I am so grateful she
came,” says Coe. “Mary was so compassionate and helped me in my
loneliness. She stayed there with me, we prayed, but more importantly
she gave me hope.”
Prishtina is an experienced oncology nurse with special training in
all conditions of the breast.
“A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, and patients sometimes
need help finding their way back to wellness,” Prishtina says. “We
begin as soon as they’re diagnosed, offering support, education and
guidance through the entire process. Patients have told me that often
it’s simply having a person to talk with and guide them along the way
that has made the biggest difference.”
Coe comments that Prishtina was there every step of the way.
“I didn’t know anything about cancer,” says Coe. “Mary helped
me understand what I was dealing with and guided me all along. She
even helped me get a wig, bras and scarves. ValleyCare was such a
blessing, I want others to know about it.”
REGIONAL CANCER CENTER AT VALLEYCARE
After her diagnosis, Coe underwent surgery and subsequent
chemotherapy at ValleyCare’s Regional Cancer Center.
“There were so many wonderful people who helped me through
all of this,” says Coe. “My oncologist—Dr. Sawhney—and the nurses
were so patient to explain everything clearly and really showed they
cared about me as a person. And the volunteers at the Cancer Center
are all so kind and helpful.”
WOMEN’S IMAGING CENTER
It had been a few years since Dorothy Piper, age 80, of Pleasanton,
had had a mammogram, so her primary physician, John Louie, MD,
recommended she get one at ValleyCare’s Women’s Imaging Center.
After her initial scan showed a suspicious mass, a second scan and
biopsy confirmed breast cancer this past March.
“I have been blessed with good health all my life, so this came as
quite a big surprise,” says Piper. “We got right down to business of
getting this taken care of right away.”
BREAST BRACHYTHERAPY
Piper has high praises for her surgeons, Vanni Manthiram, MD, and
Rakesh Patel, MD, who performed breast brachytherapy at ValleyCare’s
Regional Cancer Center.
“They are both very capable doctors and are very good at explaining
the procedures and treatment,” Piper says. “But they do it with such
compassion; they make you feel like you really matter to them.”
Breast brachytherapy is a recent advancement in breast radiation
treatment where a catheter, inserted in the breast during surgery,
becomes a port through which tiny, radioactive seeds are implanted
on and near the tumor site for the targeted radiation. This treatment
is accomplished in five days, much faster than the traditional radiation
of every day for six to seven weeks. Piper is cancer-free after her
breast brachytherapy.
“Studies have shown excellent outcomes with fewer side effects,”
says Dr. Patel. “Being able to place the radiation exactly where
it’s needed to destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue is a
significant advancement. Plus, reducing the radiation time frame to
five days versus six weeks is a huge benefit for patients.”
VALLEYCARE ENHANCES CARE
ValleyCare’s Women’s Imaging Center and Regional
Cancer Center boast some of the latest technology and
treatments. While the latest technology is certainly critical
in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, what sets
ValleyCare apart is the level of personal caring. Medical
oncologist Rishi Sawhney, MD, summarizes this dual goal:
“The standard of care happens at a very rapid pace. We want
our patients to be at the crest of the wave—at the cutting
edge of cancer delivery. But it is also very apparent to me
that the difference between care and caring is just one step.
It’s a very small step, but the patient can sense that—when
you are just providing care and when you are truly caring of
the patient. We like to say that we deliver university-level care
with a personalized touch, right here in our own community.”
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with breast
cancer and would like assistance, please call Mary
Prishtina directly at
925-580-1310
. ValleyCare’s Regional
Cancer Center is located at 5725W. Las Positas Blvd., Suite
100,
925-734-8130
.
Doris Coe
Free Community
Event—
Breast Cancer
Symposium
ValleyCare will host the
3rd Annual Breast Cancer
Symposium. Free and open
to the public. Light
refreshments and hors
d’oeuvres will be
served.
Oct. 4
6 to 8 p.m.
Palm Event Center
1184 Vineyard Ave., Pleasanton
Guest Speakers
◆
◆
Nicole Jeffrey-Starr, MD—
“Importance of Breast Clinical Exams”
◆
◆
Ruby Chang, MD—
“MRI of the Breast.
Is It the Best Test?”
◆
◆
Rakhee Shah, MD—
“New Paradigms
in Surgical Management of Breast
Cancer”
◆
◆
Rishi Sawhney, MD—
“Personalized
Breast Cancer Therapy and Survivorship:
One Size Doesn’t Fit All”
◆
◆
Rakesh Patel, MD—
“Radiation
Therapy: Less May Be More”
◆
◆
Kavitha P. Raj, MD—
“Breast Cancer
Genetics. Know Your Genes”
◆
◆
Vanni Manthiram, MD—
”Should I
Have a Mastectomy?”
◆
◆
Angela Byars, OTR—
“Understanding
and Preventing Lymphedema”
◆
◆
Mary Prishtina, RN, OCN, CBPN-IC—
“Facing Cancer Together. Better
Outcomes Through Navigation”
RSVP by calling
800-719-9111
or visit
www.valleycare.com/educationseminars
.
New OB-GYNs
Coming Soon!
Three new physicians
will soon be
joining the
experienced and
well-respected
OB-GYNs of the
ValleyCare Medical Foundation.
◆
◆
Jennifer Salata, MD
◆
◆
Laura Silverstein, MD
◆
◆
Rebecca Stone, MD
Their office location this fall will be:
5575W. Las Positas Blvd., Suite 330,
Pleasanton.
For an appointment, please
call
925-734-6655
.
Fall 2012
SERV ING THE TR I -VALLEY AND SURROUNDING COMMUNI T I ES WI TH MEDI CAL FAC I L I T I ES IN L I VERMORE , PLEASANTON AND DUBL IN
Health
Ways
Dorothy Piper also had the advantage of seeing Breast Cancer Patient Navigator Mary
Prishtina, RN, OCN, CBPN-IC, who she says helped her and her husband, Bob, tremendously.
“She is outstanding in what she does, guiding us through the entire process and helping in so
many ways,”Piper says.