Business Plan Overview

Prevention programs will be strengthened to reduce primary preventable risk factors by adding nicotine intervention and cessation counsellors and educators, cancer prevention coordinators and a Regional Team Integration Leader who will coordinate the staff throughout the North.

Hereditary cancer screening will be enhanced with the aim to improve cancer outcomes. It is proposed that an additional genetic counsellor, medical geneticist, and high risk clinic physician/nurse will be hired to support the hereditary cancer screening in the North.

Pathways will be created that will allow health care professionals to independently and confidently provide navigation support to clients/families and to proactively guide patients through and around the challenges in the complex cancer care system. Additional navigation resources will enhance the existing navigation resources in the North.

Medical Imaging Department will have its workloads increased by 2 – 9% and additional technologists to support this increased load have been proposed as well as an additional X-Ray facility and a Digital X-Ray unit.

Laboratory will have its workloads increased and additional technologist support has been proposed. Additionally, a part-time anatomical pathologist will be added.

Northern Health

1. Community Cancer Clinics - the management and administrative structures will be strengthened to implement the recommendations from the systemic therapy review. Two additional community cancer clinics have been established and additional general practitioner oncology (GPO) sessions for all the community cancer clinics have been proposed.
2. Surgical Oncology Services – a strategy will be developed in collaboration with BCCA and the Surgical Oncology Network following consultation with the relevant general surgeons, urologists and gynecologists
3. Systemic Therapy at University Hospital – to begin to establish a BCCA medical oncology service in the North and to provide outreach services to the community cancer clinics across the North, the following has been proposed: 3 additional medical mncologists, and additional sessions per week for GPOs with additional clinical (nursing) support.
4. Inpatient Care – A dedicated 6 bed inpatient oncology unit will be available with supporting registered nurses.

British Columbia Cancer Agency

A Regional BCCA Cancer Centre would complement the Northern Cancer Control Strategy by offering the following:

1. Multi-disciplinary consultation and care planning for new patients.
2. Chemotherapy and systemic care – 6-8 chemotherapy chairs with several Medical Oncologists planned for 2012.
3. Radiation therapy – with 2 linear accelerators and several Radiation Oncologists planned for 2012.
4. Access to national and international clinical trials.
5. Supportive care and pain/symptom management services.
6. Nutritional consultation and rehabilitation support.
7. Patient and community education in cancer prevention.
8. Professional education/liaison for community based cancer control programs.
9. Staffing levels will be according to the staffing ratios at the other BCCA Cancer Centres.

• Home and Community Based Care - will be enhanced by increasing 24/7 consultation and palliative care support in Prince George, community partnership initiatives, and by enhancing the Pixalere Wound Care Management System. A back referrals hub supported with a registered nurse will facilitate information transfer for patients referred back to their communities from Prince George.
• Oncology Nutrition Services - lowering the incidence of malnutrition including pre-treatment weight loss and progressive weight loss during treatment and decreasing the incidence of treatment delays/cessation related to malnutrition will require dietitians to support systemic therapy at University Hospital and cancer services in the North and to support radiation oncology services at the Regional BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North. Additional nutritional support has been added with telemedicine capacity to allow dietitians to provide services to outlying communities.
• Psychosocial support - has been established to improve psychosocial counselling and services in the North with the support of social workers and a psychosocial practice leader.
• Rehabilitation services - will be enhanced with physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and speech language pathology support.

• Information Technology/Telemedicine: An information technology and telemedicine infrastructure will allow Northern Health oncology staff to access the CAIS system. An improved telemedicine infrastructure in the North and in Vancouver will enhance services at existing community cancer sites and UHNBC. Schedulers will facilitate telemedicine meetings between patients and healthcare providers, and Telehealth Site Coordinators will facilitate telemedicine sessions with patients.
• Monitoring, Research and Evaluation: A Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator has been hired to provide leadership with regard to the building of an evaluation and monitoring framework for the strategy and to coordinate program monitoring and evaluation. In addition, work will be undertaken to partner with academic institutions, such as UNBC and the BCCA to develop an evaluation and research plan for the Northern Cancer Control Strategy.
• Aboriginal Health: Northern cancer issues will be raised through participation in the Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees and by liaising with Aboriginal agencies and organizations throughout the North. An Aboriginal Liaison Representative has begun building relationships and works closely with the Aboriginal Health department within Northern Health.

The Canadian Cancer Society will be building a lodge near the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North to provide affordable accommodations for patients visiting the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North for cancer treatment.