Cambridge, Ontario – Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) knows the importance of diagnosing cancer quickly and it is proud to announce to the community that their pathology team has been recognized by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) as one of the best in the province.
Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) has implemented new strategies to improve cancer care and services, including shorter wait times. CCO set a standard for all Ontario hospital pathology labs to provide 80% of their colorectal cancer diagnoses within 10 days. CMH not only met that goal, it surpassed it with flying colors. All colorectal cancer samples that were seen by CMH pathologists were done within that ten-day target.
This is big news for the region, as receiving a timely and accurate diagnosis means that the oncology team has all of the information they need for further treatment planning, to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient. CMH is 1 of 6 hospitals in Ontario to meet the turnaround time target of 10 days for 100% of patients.
Dr. Pamela Cyr, Chief of Pathology, attributes the success to the team: “I am grateful to work in a small and tight knit group. Our patients are important to us and we do what we can to coordinate ourselves to provide the best possible care for them.” With only 4 other pathologists on her team, it is much smaller than pathology departments at most other hospitals.
Examining about 10,000 specimens every year, many of which are for cancer, Dr. Cyr and her team recognize that the sooner they can get a diagnosis to the surgeon or oncologist, the earlier the patient can receive treatment that can save their life.
March is colorectal cancer awareness month. Ontario has some of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world. In 2012, over 3400 Ontarians died from a disease that is curable when found early.
About Cambridge Memorial Hospital
Cambridge Memorial Hospital traces its roots to 1888, when the region’s first community hospital, known as Galt Hospital, opened its doors to treat patients in a localized health care setting. As local boundaries changed and communities merged, the hospital adopted the new name of Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Today, Cambridge Memorial Hospital has over 1,100 dedicated and skilled health care professionals, technicians and staff, 280 physicians and 400 volunteers who provide exceptional care to the residents of Cambridge, the township of North Dumfries and the Region of Waterloo. For more information, visit www.cmh.org.
