Chairperson’s Christmas message 2 Ministry’s holiday greetings 3-14
PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION
DECEMBER 15, 2019
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 22
Saint Joseph Mercy Health makes cancer drug trials more accessible Harle Photography, courtesy of Agnesian HealthCare
By LISA EISENHAUER
Dr. Darold A. Treffert and Temple Grandin chat with the doctor’s puppet likeness during Grandin’s October visit to the Treffert Center in Fond du Lac, Wis. As part of its work, the center identifies and develops marketable talents of people with autism. Students in video production classes learn green screen techniques. The puppeteers are, at left, Treffert Center staffer Nathan Cuellar, and student Ben Hansen.
Treffert autism center hosts author Temple Grandin Her advice: To build a skilled workforce, welcome people who experience the world differently By JULIE MINDA
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — All around her, Temple Grandin sees mounting evidence that too few people SSM HEALTH are learning to build, plumb, weld, install electrical systems, write computer code or create art. Demand
for skilled craftspeople is outstripping supply. Grandin, arguably the country’s bestknown advocate for tapping the abilities of individuals with autism, says that people with cognitive abilities outside of the norm, could master skills that require mathematical ability or visual thinking, easing worker shortages. Grandin was in Fond du Lac Oct. 8 to give a presentation at the invitation of the Treffert Center, where the philosophy is to focus on ability rather than disability of individuals with autism, a path Grandin has
hewed to throughout her exceptionally creative and prolific career. The Treffert Center is a service of Agnesian HealthCare, a member of SSM Health. Diagnosed with autism as a toddler, she earned a doctorate in animal science. A professor at Colorado State University, she’s authored or co-authored dozens of books on the humane treatment of livestock and on the ways people with autism perceive the world and how they can achieve success. Her life story as depicted in HBO’s 2010 biopic,
Over the last 25 years, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System has developed a cancer research program that its TRINITY creators say nonacademic HEALTH hospitals across the country could use as a model to give their patients access to the latest cancer trials and experimental treatments. The system’s St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital leads the Michigan Cancer Research Consortium. By tapping a combination of public and private resources, the hospital and its partner institutions in the consortium have helped thousands of patients enroll in cutting-edge research programs without leaving the communities where they live. Among the trials the hospitals in the consortium take part in are those that test the latest in immunotherapy and use genomic profiling to provide personalized treatments. “Places like St. Joe’s that are committed to this kind of research, help develop the breakthroughs for tomorrow, while offering hope for today, which is a very important thing for these patients,” says Dr. Phil Stella, medical direcStella tor of oncology at St. Joe’s (the system’s nickname) and the consortium’s lead investigator.
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Ascension hopes documentary on lives of children in poverty is ‘call to action’ By LISA EISENHAUER
The movie is stark, just like the lives of the children it depicts. The setting is their West Baltimore neighborhood, where streets and alleys are strewn with trash and the windows of many buildings are ASCENSION covered in plywood. Some scenes are filmed in black and white and some in color, but the color scenes seem mostly gray given the bleak surroundings. Even at only 8½ minutes, the movie, Inherit the Earth, packs a sobering and lingering punch. Robert Fish, senior director of ministry formation at Ascension Health, says that was intentional. The film is the first of a series to be used as part of the health system’s formation work.
A child rides his bicycle down a trash-strewn alley in a scene from Inherit the Earth, an 8½-minute documentary focused on children who live in a troubled section of West Baltimore. The movie was produced by Ascension as part of its formation work.
“I wanted to put some actual experiences of poverty in front of our health care leaders to deepen the sense of solidarity with those we serve,” he says. “To whatever extent that could accelerate action, all the better.” The documentary spotlights the lived experiences of five boys and girls, who talk about the weight of growing up in an environment where drugs and blight have scarred the landscape and the residents. Early on, the camera lingers on a street pole turned makeshift memorial with snow-covered stuffed animals attached. In one scene, two elementary school-age girls carry their bookbags into a tidy home with white siding and shutters. Inside, the Continued on 2
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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2019
Contemplating what it means to harness one’s gifts in service of the Gospel By KEVIN SEXTON Chairperson of the CHA Board of Trustees
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t is an honor to communicate with all of you at Christmastime on behalf of the Catholic Health Association. Christmas is an ideal time for all of us to reflect on what is most important — what we most aspire to as individuals and what we want Catholic health care to be. The Christmas story provides great guidSexton ance. It is a story of hope and optimism in the face of extraordinary challenges, a story focused on others rather than self and a story that demonstrates the tremendous power of humility. As we face challenges and uncertainty in our personal lives and as we struggle with our vocations in Catholic health care, we are fortunate to have powerful role models to guide us. The “spirit of the Gospel” that we often talk about is, of course, a reflection of the life and teachings of Jesus on Earth. His beginnings in a land controlled from afar, in a family on the move, not by choice but by fiat, were about as humble as possible. He didn’t start with a clear path to success and influence, but he surely had a mission. His life and death in furtherance of that mission
has inspired billions of people over centuries. Some of those people were our sponsors who created Catholic health care in the United States and ultimately inspired us to join up. Our sponsors, often immigrants or children of immigrants, joined religious communities to serve others. They went where needed without much of a say and without a clear road map or even clarity of the task before them. They had very few possessions. Frequently they knew little (sometimes nothing) about how health care worked, but they set about to serve those in dire need of care and caring. Today, we have so much more, which is not to underestimate the magnitude of our challenges and the anxiety that can be created by all of the complexity in our environment. In today’s world, the management of Catholic health care requires great skill and strong capabilities, but it still relies on renewed mission focus for true success. As we contemplate that renewal, the Christmas story and our sponsors’ stories are great places to start. CHA is currently focused on its mission as it embarks on the process of setting its course for the next three-plus years as an association that exists to help those in need through its service to Catholic health care. Our management and board members are hard at work on this task, and I know every-
one aspires to create a plan for the association that reflects our highest aspirations for Catholic health care and one that can guide our decision-making in the most productive manner. Those aspirations reflect a belief that Catholic health care can and must thrive, serving our communities as: A respected embodiment of service in the spirit of the Gospel. A caring, high-quality provider of health care to all who need us. A force for the better overall health of the population wherever we serve. Our challenge is to create a consensus
Fish also vividly remembers the young audience’s reaction to one scene in particular, when a boy talks about how he hopes his culinary training will help him get a job and buy a home to live in with his parents. The boy says: “I’m gonna get ’em out. They wanna come with me. If they wanna do anything, they not gonna do it at my house.” At that, Fish says, the kids watching clapped and cheered. Suazo says that the grimness of the film is an accurate depiction of its subjects’ lives. They are doing as best they can, often with little adult support, in a neighborhood crippled by drugs, violence and poverty, she says. “We know of all these things these kids are going through that other people just wouldn’t realize,” she says of herself and others who help at The Food Project. She hopes the film reaches a wide audience and that it gives its viewers a better understanding of how hard the children’s Two sisters take a break from playing and doing homework in their sparsely furnished home in West lives are. Baltimore in a scene from Inherit the Earth. The children spotlighted in the documentary discuss life in an Since its initial screenings in Baltimore, impoverished and drug-ridden neighborhood. Ascension produced the film in hopes of bringing children’s Inherit the Earth has been shown at a numexperience of poverty into focus. ber of Ascension gatherings “as a way to say that in everything we do we need to rememrapt,” Fish recalls. ber that these are the people we are here to Afterward they launched into a spon- serve,” Fish says. From page 1 taneous discussion of what could be done The movie also has been screened and to help their neighborhood. “It was really won awards at film festivals, including Best home is mostly bare. A TV sits on a wood interesting that they had thoughts about Documentary Short at the Windy City Interfloor scattered with what looks to be school it,” Fish says. “But there was also a level of national Film Festival in Chicago. By early papers. The girls play together alone inside. hopelessness, like ‘Nothing we can do can November, an online link to the film had “If I see somebody with drugs, I would ever change this.’” gotten 58,000 clicks. snatch ’em and put ’em in the trash,” The documentary one of the little girls says. is one of three being In another scene in the documenmade by the St. Louistary, a boy in a decrepit and nearly based health system empty apartment talks about his as part of its formation father, dead at 48. “And I’m starting work. One of the other to forget about him,” he says. “I really films will focus on a can’t even remember his voice.” rural part of Indiana Before screening it at Ascension that’s been ravaged gatherings, Fish took the finished film by drugs. The third to Baltimore in late May to show it to will focus on young the children it depicted. He had found expectant mothers livthem with help from Ascension Saint ing in poverty in New Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. People Orleans for whom, in there connected the moviemakers Fish’s words, “motherwith the founder of The Food Project, hood can be less than a a training and mentorship program blessed event.” for young people on the city’s west Fish expects the side. The movie’s subjects have all other two movies to gotten assistance from the program. be ready for screenWhen Fish showed the movie to A boy eats a snack outside a convenience store where the windows are protected ing in the spring. All The Food Project’s founder, Michelle by security bars and the door by a metal grate. He says drug dealers regularly work of the films have the Suazo, she cried. She then gathered his West Baltimore neighborhood, but he pays no attention to them. Later in the same director, Chrischildren in the program to see it. movie, he talks about life without his father, who died at 48, and his brother who tian Schultz. Fish said “They just watched, and they were is in and out of jail. he reached out to the
Ascension documentary
around a plan for how CHA can best serve Catholic health care — how we can help it realize these aspirations where it matters most — on the ground where the people of Catholic health care deliver services to those in need. As we go through the process of charting that course, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, and her staff at CHA are working hard to gather input from the people of Catholic health care and are doing so in a variety of settings. I want to encourage you individually to participate in one of those organized efforts or simply to send your thoughts to CHA directly. At Christmastime, I know you are contemplating what commitment to service in the spirit of the Gospel looks like for yourselves and how it should be manifest in the institutions you serve and love. Please think about what our association can do to help your vision come to pass, whether by advocating for Catholic health care institutions publicly, ensuring close connection with the church, or creatively serving Catholic health care institutions and systems in areas where CHA brings unique capabilities. The Christmas story can inspire us all. In that spirit, let us know what you think. We need everyone’s ideas to help Catholic health care thrive. Please have a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas.
28-year-old filmmaker after being moved by his work. The film is the first offering of Mandorla LLC, a new Ascension entity Fish says will be focused on a variety of projects serving the common good. There is no Ascension or Mandorla branding on Inherit the Earth, in part, Fish says, because the health system wanted the documentary to stand on its own. Fish says he and the others who are screening the movie share a goal. “We really hope every individual or group will find their own call to action in this,” he says. View the film at chausa.org/chworld. leisenhauer@chausa.org
Catholic Health World (ISSN 87564068) is published semimonthly, except monthly in January and July, and copyrighted © by the Catholic Health Association of the United States. POSTMASTER: Address all subscription orders, inquiries, address changes, etc., to Kim Hewitt, 4455 Woodson Road, St. Louis, MO 63134-3797; phone: 314-253-3421; email: khewitt@chausa. org. Periodicals postage rate is paid at St. Louis and additional mailing offices. Annual subscription rates: CHA members free, others $55 and foreign $55. Opinions, quotes and views appearing in Catholic Health World do not necessarily reflect those of CHA and do not represent an endorsement by CHA. Acceptance of advertising for publication does not constitute approval or endorse ment by the publication or CHA. All advertising is subject to review before acceptance. Vice President Communications and Marketing Brian P. Reardon
Associate Editor Lisa Eisenhauer leisenhauer@chausa.org 314-253-3437
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December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
God Is Love “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” DEUTERONOMY 10:19
Flight into Egypt, Eugène Girardet
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year The Catholic Health Association of the United States Lara Akpata Ann Alvers Lori Ashmore-Ruppel Kyle Belobrajdic Matt Bigogno Trevor Bodewitz Paula Bommarito Angela Botticella Fr. Charles Bouchard Kathleen Bourgeois Cara Brouder Dawna Brown Leslie Brown Janey Brummett Sandra Buttery Tony Cable Bruce Compton Betty Crosby Kimberly Crossman Kathy Curran Janet Dunahue Lisa Eisenhauer Chris Fields Dottie Freitag Adele Gianino Sr. Mary Haddad Rebecca Heermann David Hein Kim Hewitt Nathaniel Blanton Hibner Jeanne Hogan Brenda Hudson Catherine Hurley Brian Kane Karla Keppel Cheryl Mance Dottie Martin Ken Mayo Carrie Meyer McGrath Crystal Mendez Julie Minda Debbie Morrow Rhonda Mueller Sharon Novak Clay O’Dell Michele Oranski Nick Osterholt Olivia Phipps Paulo Pontemayor Kevin Prior Karen Raines Linda Raney Brian Reardon Katrina Reid Diarmuid Rooney Ken Schanuel Ellen Schlanker Cherie Schroeder Brian Smith Lisa Smith Indu Spugnardi Mary Ann Steiner Les Stock Lucas Swanepoel Betsy Taylor Danette Thompson Julie Trocchio Sheryl Ullrich Kim Van Oosten Judy VandeWater Dee Walsh Anna Weston
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May we extend the good news of Jesus to others this sacred season and throughout the year. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and give them oil of gladness instead of mourning. Isaiah 61:1-3
Blessings to you and your loved ones from Ascension Celebrating 20 years of service, our associates are committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care across 20 states and the District of Columbia. Through our work, we endeavor to spread hope, healing and love to all people, especially those living in poverty and the most vulnerable.
Š Ascension 2019. All rights reserved.
December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
to the World May you share peace, love and joy throughout Christmas and this holiday season.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Florida Global Health Ministry, Pennsylvania Holy Cross Health, Maryland
MercyOne, Iowa Mount Carmel Health System, Ohio Pittsburgh Mercy, Pennsylvania
Holy Cross Hospital, Florida
Saint Agnes Medical Center, California
Loyola University Health System, Illinois
Saint Alphonsus Health System, Idaho / Oregon
Mercy Health, Michigan
Saint Joseph Health System, Indiana
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Illinois
Saint Joseph’s Health System, Georgia
Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, Michigan
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania / Delaware
St. Francis Medical Center, New Jersey
Trinity Health Of New England, Connecticut / Massachusetts
St. Joseph’s Health, New York
Trinity Health PACE, National
St. Mary’s Health Care System, Georgia
Trinity Health Senior Communities, National
St. Peter’s Health Partners, New York Trinity Health At Home, National
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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2019
As we gather together in the spirit of Christmas, we celebrate the promise of redemption in the Holy birth. A chance to reunite with family and friends. To reawaken the child within each of us. To be inspired once more with a sense of awe. And wonder. And hope. We light a candle of love for all this season.
May peace fill our hearts and renew our world.
December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
“May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace.” Romans 15:13
As Catholics, we cherish the weeks of Advent as a reminder that God is always with us, entering our lives daily through grace and prayer. As part of the community of healers that is CommonSpirit Health, however, this message of Advent holds an even more personal meaning. In fact, that meaning is written into CommonSpirit’s mission: “We make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.” Because God’s presence in our lives is constant, so too is our duty to heal in His name. In celebration of God’s presence, CommonSpirit is making a donation this holiday season to Catholic Charities USA’s Healthy Housing Initiative to help more homeless people remain off the streets.
Lloyd H. Dean CEO
commonspirit.org
Kevin E. Lofton CEO
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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2019
May your
heart be filled
with light and life this holy season, as we trust in
For today
the Giver of Light.
in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” -John 1:5
Messiah and Lord Avera.org — Luke 2:11
As Trinitas Regional Medical Center turns 20 And the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth celebrate 160
May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.
We thank everyone for their support and extend our Best Wishes for a Healthy New Year! Gary S. Horan, FACHE President & Chief Executive Officer Trinitas Health & Regional Medical Center
225 W illiamson s treet • e lizabeth , nJ 07202 908.994.5000 • WWW.t rinitas rmC. org
www.franciscanministries.org
December15, 15,2017 2019CATHOLIC CATHOLICHEALTH HEALTHWORLD WORLD 9 December 15
Peace
May you share the gifts of love, peace and joy this Christmas and into
©2017 SSM Health. All rights reserved. SYS-15-135348 11/17
the new year.
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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2019
Adore Him. On behalf of Hospital Sisters Ministries and the more than 15,000 colleagues that serve HSHS, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
Hospital Sisters of St. Francis - Springfield, Illinois HSHS Medical Group Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants Physician Clinical Integration Network ILLINOIS HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Breese HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham HSHS Holy Family Hospital, Greenville HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Highland HSHS St. Francis Hospital, Litchfield HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, O’Fallon HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, Shelbyville HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield WISCONSIN HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, Green Bay HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, Oconto Falls HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. –Luke 2:10
May the birth of Christ bring peace and joy to you this Christmas season
In lieu of sending Christmas cards, a donation is being made to Catholic Relief Services in honor of all our friends and colleagues in Catholic health care. Covenant Health | 100 Ames Pond, Suite 102, Tewksbury, Massachusetts 01876 | covenanthealth.net
December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
Who we are together…
gives us the love, strength and courage to change the world. Wishing you happiness and health this Christmas and throughout the new year.
mercy.net/Christmas
Your life is our life’s work.
May the peace and blessings of Christmas be yours. May your coming year be filled with happiness and good health.
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Wishing you and your family a Joyful and Holy Christmas
Sometimes, simply by sitting, the soul collects wisdom. ~ ZEN PROVERB
WISHING YOU QUIET MOMENTS TO REFLECT ON THE SIMPLE JOYS OF THE SEASON
Caring for communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Idaho.
QUALITY
HOSPITALITY
STEWARDSHIP
JOY
TEAMWORK
RESPECT
JUSTICE
December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
The Sisters of Charity Health System lights the way for health and human services in Northeast Ohio and South Carolina through: Mercy Medical Center, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Light of Hearts Villa, Regina Health Center, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, Building Healthy Communities, Catholic Community Connection*, Early Childhood Resource Center, Healthy Learners, Joseph’s Home, and South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families. *Joint venture with partners
W E E X T E N D PE AC E A N D HOPE T O A L L DU RING T HIS JOYOUS SE A SO N .
sistersofcharityhealth.org
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A REFLECTION FROM POPE FRANCIS “Quite a few years of life have strengthened my conviction that each and everyone’s existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions. “How wonderful would it be if solidarity, this beautiful and, at times, inconvenient word, were not simply reduced to social work, and became, instead, the default attitude in political, economic and scientific choices, as well as in the relationships among individuals, peoples and countries. “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’” Excerpted from Pope Francis’ 2017 TED Talk
For more prayers visit chausa.org/prayers
Merry Christmas
In this
Holy Season,
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. — Luke 2:7
may we welcome all families as
the Holy Family. Christmas Blessings from
We wish you a season filled with great joy so Christmas
Blessings LONG-TERM CARE SHORT-TERM REHAB ASSISTED LIVING INDEPENDENT LIVING MEMORY CARE
that you may bring great joy to others!
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December 15, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD
Wider access to advanced cancer care From page 1
Partnering with other hospitals The model began taking shape in the mid-1990s when St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor became the lead hospital in the newly formed Michigan Cancer Research Consortium, part of the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program. The NCI Community Oncology Research Program is a national network that brings cancer clinical trials and care delivery studies to people in their own communities. It comprises seven research bases, or research hubs, and 46 community sites, one of which is the Michigan Cancer Research Consortium. In addition to Michigan, that consortium has participating cancer centers in Pennsylvania and Florida. This summer, the NCI awarded the Michigan consortium a six-year, $19.3 mil– lion grant to continue its work. Over its history, the consortium has enrolled about 10,000 patients in Phase 1B, Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies, which can include as few as 10 and as many as tens of thousands of patients nationally and are designed to help determine the best ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat cancer, says Beth LaVasseur, executive director of oncology and research for Saint Joseph Mercy Health. LaVasseur The NCI funds cover the cost of the infrastructure necessary to run a large clinical trial operation. The funds also pay for the Michigan consortium’s staff, now at 34. The staff helps the hospitals to reach out to patients, submit all the data, manage biospecimens and see that regulatory requirements are met. Fulfilling Catholic mission The latest grant from the NCI is almost twice what the consortium got five years ago. The increase reflects the federal agency’s confidence in the work being spearheaded by St. Joe’s, LaVasseur and Stella say. It also means the consortium can offer patients access to even more trials and potentially life-extending or lifesaving treatments. “This is a very important thing from a Catholic perspective, having access to these trials no matter what socioeconomic demographic you are in,” Stella says. In addition to the publicly funded research, the consortium also takes part in industry-sponsored trials to assess the efficacy and safety of new and not yet federally approved cancer drugs and treatments. Michigan Cancer Research Consortium members Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
hospitals, part of the Trinity Health Michigan Region: • St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Mich. • St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Chelsea, Mich. •S t. Joseph Mercy Livingston, Howell, Mich. •S t. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, Mich. •S t. Mary Mercy Livonia, Livonia, Mich.
Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a Trinity Health hospital
Sparrow Health System, Lansing, Mich.
Ascension Macomb-Oakland
Hospital Warren, Warren, Mich.
Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital, Saginaw, Mich.
Genesys Hurley Cancer Institute, Flint, Mich.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
Lung cancer patient survives, thrives as a result of clinical drug trial
David Husak, 84, spends time with Marissa, the youngest of his nine grandchildren. He credits a clinical drug trial he has been part of for more than three years through the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System with keeping his lung cancer from progressing.
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avid Husak sees the fact that he is not only still around but living a comfortable life almost four years after being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer as “miraculous.” The 84-year-old retired chemical engineer and plant manager is one of several patients Saint Joseph Mercy Health System is featuring in a promotional campaign about its cancer care. Part of that care is made possible through the health system’s participation in the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program and some of it through trials of experimental cancer drug treatments it offers through research partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Husak credits his good fortune to a drug trial he was encouraged to enter just after he got the grim news about his condition at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital in Ypsilanti, Mich., in April 2016.
LaVasseur says the industry trials enroll about as many people as the ones linked to the NCI. In each of the last four years, the Michigan consortium enrolled a
Husak smoked cigarettes as a young man and then a pipe from the time he was about 30. Nevertheless, when what he thought was a broken collarbone pushing through his chest turned out to in fact be cancer that had metastasized to his sternum, he was shocked. While he doesn’t know if smoking caused his condition, he says, “it certainly did not improve my chances of not getting cancer.” When he was told he’d be a good candidate for a clinical trial of the drug atezolizumab (sold under the brand name Tecentriq), Husak had no hesitation about enrolling. Since mid-2016, he has gone to St. Joseph Mercy Brighton health center, just a few miles from his home in Pinckney, Mich., every three weeks for blood testing, a checkup by his oncologist and an infusion of atezolizumab. The findings from his blood tests, checkups and other testing related to his cancer care are shared with the drug’s manufacturer, Genentech. Husak says he’s happy to be a test case for a drug provided to him without charge and administered close to his home. He credits the drug therapy and the “worldclass care” he’s gotten through Saint Joseph Mercy Health for keeping his cancer in check and prolonging his life. “Aside from a little bit of shortness of breath, I feel good all the time,” he says. He readily shares his success story about his clinical trial, including just recently with a woman newly diagnosed with lung cancer whom he met while both were waiting for CT scans. “It was like a weight lifted from her shoulders,” he says. “I gave her some hope.” The trial he is in is likely to end before long, Husak says, but he’s not worried because the drug has been federally approved and his medical insurer says it will cover the drug’s cost. “I still have my cancer, it’s still there. It will never go away, it will never be in remission,” Husak says. “But this drug is controlling it to where it’s not doing anything but sitting there.” — LISA EISENHAUER
total of about 1,200 patients in publicly or privately funded studies. “At any given time, we usually have about 100 studies open to accrual, mean-
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ing patients could enter those studies, and we have about 300 studies that we are following patients on that are active but not newly recruiting,” LaVasseur says.
Enticement for doctors Offering access to experimental treatments is not only an opportunity for patients, LaVasseur and Stella say, it is a way the community hospitals in the consortium can lure doctors who want to take part in clinical research. Among the trials the consortium is involved in is the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry Study to determine if specific molecularly targeted cancer drugs are effective beyond the uses approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The national study is of patients with advanced cancer who have not
“Through science we’re getting closer and closer to understanding which one of these patients are going to be helped by which treatments because of the personalized medicine.” — Beth LaVasseur responded to or are no longer responding to standard treatment. Its primary sponsor is the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Stella points to the TAPUR Study as one of the most advanced being done in cancer treatment. The drugs being tested are specifically matched to the genetic mutations found in a patient’s tumor. Michigan consortium members have enrolled over 250 patients in the TAPUR Study, which launched in 2016. St. Joe’s participation is a point of pride for Stella. “Here we are representing a community cancer center and we are one of the highest accruers year after year because of our commitment to this very important area of molecular-targeting and personalized medicine,” he says.
Improving patient outcomes LaVasseur and Stella say the advances that have been made in cancer treatments in recent decades are evident in the survival rate and quality of life of patients. According to the American Cancer Society, the overall age-adjusted cancer death rate rose during most of the 20th century, peaking in 1991 at 215 cancer deaths per 100,000 people. As of 2016, the rate had dropped to 156 per 100,000 (a decline of 27 percent) because of reductions in smoking, as well as improvements in early detection and treatment. This decline translates into more than 2.6 million fewer cancer deaths from 1991 to 2016. LaVasseur says, “Through science we’re getting closer and closer to understanding which one of these patients are going to be helped by which treatments because of the personalized medicine.” Stella and LaVasseur hope to see more hospitals follow St. Joe’s lead into cancer research that offers more patients access to clinical trials and the latest treatments. “We have developed a method by grants and pharmaceutical trials that really doesn’t require a lot more investment of dollars and resources from a hospital,” says Stella, who was honored this year by the NCI as its oncology community investigator of the year. He is heartened by the advances he’s seen in his 30 years in oncology practice and research, and by the patients who are alive today because of those breakthroughs. “That’s why we continue to do this research and why we’re committed to it.” leisenhauer@chausa.org
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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2019
Autism center Photos by Harle Photography, courtesy of Agnesian HealthCare
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Temple Grandin, won an Emmy for actor Claire Danes. The multidisciplinary Treffert Center, which opened on the campus of St. Agnes Hospital in April 2016, provides screening, therapy and other services for people with autism. The center’s research library houses Dr. Darold A. Treffert’s pioneering work on savant syndrome, including that related to autism.
Nurturing talents Treffert and Grandin have worked together in the past, and this was Grandin’s second visit to the center. The Treffert Center and its staff of over 30 used the occasion to introduce the latest developments of the center, including a partnership with a new charter school with a curriculum built around the Treffert Approach to advancing human potential; a video production arm staffed by youth with autism; and a studio that is under development where people will be able to pursue their interests in film, photography, animation, graphic and web design, art and dance. All of these initiatives are geared toward socialization and the development of marketable skills, explained center staff. Throughout the day, as Grandin toured the facilities, she shared insights on how best to nurture the talents of people with autism and assist them in developing life
Kylan West, a student at Treffert Way for the Exceptional Mind, a charter school in North Fond du Lac, Wis., describes his computer project to Temple Grandin and Meg Puddy, center, during Grandin’s October tour of the school. Puddy is a board certified behavior analyst at the Treffert Center.
skills that will help them move toward a career. She said some people with autism may isolate themselves because they do not conform to the mainstream and get frustrated when they cannot seem to fit in. She said it’s important to encourage youth with autism to experience, explore and participate in the world, such as by learning to sew or use hand tools, by volunteering and by earning a wage for their work, to get them interested in, and accustomed to, work.
Entrepreneurial spirit Treffert said that he and his namesake
Simple adaptations make workplaces friendlier spaces for people with autism D
uring her visit to the Treffert Center in Fond du Lac, Wis., Temple Grandin discussed the dangers of affixing the “autism” label to a person, especially when it comes to seeking and securing employment. Grandin doesn’t advise that job seekers hide the information from prospective employers, but she said that disclosing it can hold people back from being hired. In Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, Grandin and her co-author said that for high-functioning people with autism, simple accommodations by the employer, and some creativity by the employee, can address many of the heightened sensory sensitivities common with autism.
In Developing Talents and other books, Grandin describes numerous auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory and other sensitivities, and she provides lists of suggested fixes or work-arounds for the issues. For instance, people with autism may have extreme sensitivity to the fluorescent lights commonly used in offices. The authors suggest giving the employee a workstation with natural lighting or replacing the fluorescent lights. Or, a visor or hat with a brim or tinted glasses may provide enough protection from the harsh light. Grandin encourages parents and teachers to help autistic children to look into solutions that mitigate their sensitivities so that they can venture out into the world and achieve their goals. — JULIE MINDA
of Treffert Center representatives visited a charter school in the North Fond du Lac school district that gets ongoing support from Treffert Center staff. Called the Treffert Way for the Exceptional Mind, the school welcomes children of all cognitive abilities from kindergarten through sixth grade. Grandin heard from teachers and students that the school day is tailored around the interests, tendencies, capabilities and passions of each student. In mixed-age classrooms, kids have a say in the structure of their day. Grandin watched a boy take apart and reassemble a vacuum cleaner, and engaged in conversation with a girl researching Pearl Harbor. School district superintendent Aaron Sadoff, who was on hand for the visit, said that children who could not function well in a traditional classroom are thriving at the charter school and achieving their learning goals.
center espouse the philosophy that each person has special abilities, and it is important to assist students in broadening and shaping their talents to build skills that are useful in the job market. Grandin’s career offers a case study in how that works. As a college student, Grandin invented a “hug machine” that provides A Dr. Darold A. Treffert puppet promotes the Treffert Learning Channel on deep, soothing pressure YouTube. to calm an overstimulated nervous system. She says she got Grandin praised the flexibility of the the idea from watching cows corralled for teachers’ approach — she especially liked branding visibly relax when pressure was that students were free to move around. applied to their bodies in a squeeze shoot. Grandin noted in a book she co-wrote, She went on to gain fame for her work Developing Talents: Careers for Individudeveloping designs that reduce the stress als with Asperger Syndrome and Highof cattle in slaughterhouses and champi- Functioning Autism, that some people oning the humane treatment of cattle and with autism can have hypersensitivities domestic animals. related to the five senses. When overstimulation of the nervous system causes Building blocks agitation, movement can help them While in Fond du Lac, she and a group self-soothe. The group’s next stop was Fond du Lac High School for a tour of its warehousesized classroom where students and community members can learn construction skills. Many of these students are on the autism spectrum. Representatives of local businesses that helped to fund the training assist in teaching the students in the hopes of recruiting them as employees. Students at the center create original videos.
Avoiding labels In an evening presentation hosted by the Treffert Center, Grandin told the audience of more than 400 that many people with talent can get cast aside in the education system when they are diagnosed and labeled autistic. Students with autism may struggle to achieve passing grades in some subjects and they may be underestimated and overprotected in ways that limit their potential. She said some people diagnosed on the autism spectrum think in a way that would make them ideal for skilled trade and professional positions that may require complex visual thinking, precise mathematical thinking or patterned word thinking, for instance. Grandin said people with autism and other neurodiverse ways of thinking should be guided in how they can broaden and expand their skills, encouraged to be creative and assisted in tailoring their environment to meet their needs. “They need to be stretched to just outside their comfort zone,” to reach their potential, Grandin said. Visit chausa.org/chworld to see videos related to this story. jminda@chausa.org
Grandin tours an industrial arts classroom at Fond du Lac High School where students, including people with autism, learn skills used in construction trades. Listening to Grandin are representatives from the school and from the Treffert Center.