Issaquah recently welcomed a new patient care clinic from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) that aims to bring its services to Eastside patients.
The Issaquah center comes two months after SCCA opened its first in Poulsbo in an effort to expand access to cancer treatment within the communities it serves. Essentially, the clinics bring SCCA’s cancer care closer to patients, making recovery and treatment easier.
“We’ve been in the community now for about eight years and expansion is consistent with our mission and purpose,” said Dr. Jennie R. Crews, the administrative and medical director for SCCA Community Sites and medical director for the SCCA Affiliate Network. “It’s often difficult for patients who care for their family, try to hold down a job or are simply not feeling well to travel far to get (their) care. So rather than expecting patients to come to us to get world class care, we wanted to bring that world class care to them.”
The SCCA, during its 15 years of operation, has been nationally recognized for its treatment program, distinguished as Washington’s only NCI-designated cancer center and boasted higher five-year survival rates across most cancer types compared to patients treated at other centers, according to National Cancer Data Base statistics.
“A central part of our mission is to ensure people have access to the best cancer treatments as close to their community and loved ones as possible,” said Nancy Davidson, SCCA executive director and president, in a press release. “These clinics will provide patients across our region with the highest level of care and the most advanced treatments available.”
According to Crews, Issaquah was selected to host SCCA’s second clinic due to its growing community and central location that helps provide care to as many Eastside patients as possible.
The SCCA has previously partnered with Northwest Hospital and Evergreen Health to provide care within their respective communities. The Issaquah center will stand out with its “universal room” concept that hosts all patient care services in a comfortable, private space with a dedicated team.
