Pilot Site Profile
St. Joseph’s/Candler, Savannah, Georgia
Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion
5353 Reynolds Street
Savannah, GA 31405
Web sites:
Hospital: www.sjchs.org
Cancer Center: www.sjchs.org/Cancercare_home.cfm?id=607
Paul P. Hinchey, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s/Candler
Morris Geffen, MD, Principal Investigator/NCCCP Pilot Leader
Background
St. Joseph’s/Candler is the largest healthcare provider in Savannah and the surrounding area. Its two anchor hospitals – St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital – provide 636 beds. Oncology services are provided through the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, a 56,000 square-foot, freestanding institution. The hospital treats approximately 1,050 new cancer patients annually. The Lewis Cancer Center’s affiliation with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute provides patients with access to Phase II and Phase III cancer clinical trials.
Patient Service Area
The hospital’s service area encompasses the southeast region of Georgia and the South Carolina Low Country. Additionally, two other predominantly rural areas are represented through a clinical alliance. These areas include the foothills of Appalachia in northwest Georgia (served by Harbin Clinic) and Central West Georgia (served by the John B. Amos Cancer Center). These regions have a large African American population and a high prevalence of tobacco use, which has left many counties in this area with abnormally high levels of lung cancer in both men and women of all ethnic groups. Patients in the region must travel significant distances to treatment centers. As such, the percentage of patients with a late-stage cancer diagnosis is considerably higher in outlying areas.
Access and Outreach Initiatives
The hospital runs a significant number of outreach programs including mammography education and screening of medically underserved women in surrounding counties. The Georgia Cancer Coalition is supporting St. Joseph’s/Candler to provide cancer screening and treatment to underserved areas with a high cancer incidence rate.
