The Oncology Department at St. Catharines General Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services, including consultation, diagnostic procedures, education, support, treatment and follow-up. Cancers treated at the clinic include breast, lung, lymphomas, bowel, prostate and leukemias. The health care team includes physicians (medical and radiation oncologists, palliative care physicians), registered nurses, social worker, nutritionist, pharmacist and pharmacy technicians, spiritual care coordinators, clerical staff (reception, health records, transcription) and physiotherapy support.
Future Plans
A full range of cancer care, including radiation therapy, will be offered at the new Walker Family Cancer Centre being built alongside the new hospital slated to open for St. Catharines and Thorold residents in 2013. The Walker Family Cancer Centre will become the hub of a coordinated regional cancer treatment network for Niagara. The NHS will be the host hospital partnering with Cancer Care Ontario to jointly operate this comprehensive treatment centre.
Under the proposal, the NRCC will become a critical resource for all 410,000 residents of the Niagara region who require radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Just one example illustrates the far-reaching benefits of this initiative – it will allow approximately 1,000 radiation patients, who must currently travel to Hamilton, to have this treatment closer to home.