Jamaica Hospital Medical Center hosted a town hall to provide more information about the new clinical collaboration between the MediSys Health Network and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The town hall was held both in-person in Jamaica Hospital’s “D” Building and virtually for attendees at Flushing Hospital Medical Center.
Several presenters spoke about how this collaboration would help bring world-class cancer care to patients in Queens and discussed plans for the future of the partnership in detail. The first phase of the relationship is expected to bring a robust new oncology program to the network, as well as opportunities for patient participation in clinical trials.
David Pfister, MD, Chief of the Head and Neck Oncology Service at MSK and Associate Deputy Physician-in-Chief of Strategic Partnerships, spoke at the event about his enthusiasm regarding the future of MSK’s collaboration with MediSys and the objectives it is being designed to achieve. “The goal of the collaboration is to provide the highest quality cancer care locally,” said Dr. Pfister. “Central to our strategy is for MediSys to improve and grow its own cancer program with MSK’s assistance.”
Dr. Sabiha Raoof, Chief Medical Officer and Chairperson of Radiology at MediSys, also spoke at the town hall, outlining the importance of resources for patient navigation and how her own experiences as a breast cancer patient at MSK showed her how essential this aspect of care is for the program.
“My experience receiving cancer treatment taught me how complex it really is to navigate health care. It took a whole team to ensure I received the best care possible,” said Dr. Raoof.
Dr. Rosa Nouvini, an Assistant Attending and Junior Faculty Council Vice Chair at MSK as well as a key figure in building the MediSys oncology program, also spoke briefly about her experiences treating patients as part of the collaboration so far.
“Personal connections that help to better understand patients’ life experiences and barriers to health care are an important part of how we offer the best cancer treatment possible,” said Dr. Nouvini. “It’s been amazing to bring that approach and the quality of MSK’s cancer care to MediSys.”
The partnership between MediSys and MSK is ultimately expected to significantly reduce socioeconomic, language, and education-related obstacles to quality cancer care for the diverse population of over 2.4 million Queens residents. “This is a terrific partnership,” said Bruce J. Flanz, President and CEO of the MediSys Health Network. “Our culturally and ethnically diverse patient population will gain access to world-class cancer care not only now, but for generations to come.”