Foundation Presents $20,000 to GLCI to Benefit Cancer Patients
Cancer patients undergoing treatment at Lapeer’s Great Lakes Cancer Institute (GLCI) will now have a better understanding of their diagnosis and treatment plan, thanks to a generous donation from the Lapeer Regional Medical Center Foundation.
LRMC Foundation Board Member Wes Wickham presented a $20,000 check to GLCI President/Medical Director Raymond Demers, MD at the Institute June 10 to fund an innovative project that uses DVDs to educate cancer patients about their condition.
The DVD Project was created from “the ground up” by GLCI according to Dr. Demers. Footage was shot onsite at the Lapeer facility on specific cancer diagnoses including breast, lung, prostate and colon. Video content was based on cancer treatment guidelines provided by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Each video will be produced individually based on the varying needs of the patient. Physicians will fill out an order that includes specifics of the case. The information will then be sent to the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Lansing, where the DVD will be assembled by ACS staff using the appropriate content and patient-friendly narration; it will then be sent to the patient’s home for viewing.
“This unique project will give our patients an educational tool that will help direct them through their diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Demers said. “The DVDs will be customized according to each patient’s individual condition and will explain such things as their cancer stage, chemotherapy medication, radiation therapy or surgery. It’s another way of ensuring that our patients are receiving the very best quality care.”
Having the DVD Project filmed onsite using local staff should be comforting to patients, according to LRMC Oncology Program Coordinator Corrinne Clark.
“We believe that our patients will benefit a great deal from watching the videos,” she said. “Now, when they come in for treatment, they will already be familiar with the physicians, the facility and the treatment setting.