Cancer Center Pushes Toward Mission with Help from Donation

Three years ago, the Loma Linda University Medical Center set out to take the overall treatment of cancer patients to a different level.

On Tuesday, the center stepped a little closer to reaching that goal, thanks to a $3 million donation by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. It is the largest donation given to the cancer center.

“We are extremely grateful to San Manuel Band of Mission Indians for this generous contribution to our Cancer Center enabling us to deliver ‘whole person care’ to our cancer patients,” said Ruthita Fike, CEO of Loma Linda University Medical Center, in a news release. “Among many positive outcomes, this donation will allow us to take the first step towards having a fully integrated and comprehensive cancer program in one physical space.

That integrated care model is unique, said Judy Chatigny,  executive director of the Loma Linda University Cancer Center. It involves bringing in physicians involved in cancer treatment and putting them under one roof, she said.

This will allow the physicians -- from the oncologists to the surgeons to the radiologists -- to meet, work and even problem solve together, cancer center officials said. This way patients need only visit one facility, Chatigny said.

Creating that integrated treatment program has been done in phases. The first phase of the new Loma Linda University Cancer Center was dedicated Feb. 15, 2008, according to the center’s website. The second phase included the development of the Biospecimen Laboratory and completion of an oncology unit.

The next phase will bring the surgeons under one roof, Chatigny said.  This is where the donation made by the San Manuel Tribe becomes so essential.

Half of the donation will go to the 10,000-square-foot Medical Oncology Center to be renamed San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Medical Oncology Center. The other half will go to the 1,200-square-foot Biospecimen Laboratory, as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Biospecimen Laboratory.

The benefit is not just for the patient; it benefits physicians, Chatigny said.

It gives the physicians a sense they are providing the best care possible, she said.

"This gift is a commitment from the tribe to the health of our community and the health of its citizens,” said James Ramos, Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, through a news release.  “It is our hope that this facility will one day be able to find the cures to the cancers that plague us and make treatment and technology readily accessible to those who need medical assistance.”

If you go:
Loma Linda University Cancer Center
11185 Mountain View Ave 
(800) 782-2623