Navicent Health Partners with Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Navicent Health Partners with Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Region's Cancer Patients to Benefit from Clinical Trials, Research Projects and Consulting Physicians

MACON, GA (Monday, August 15, 2016) - Navicent Health today announced that the Peyton Anderson Cancer Center, Navicent Health has joined the Winship Cancer Network, a service of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship). The Winship Cancer Network brings together an elite group of health systems and hospitals with Winship, the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the state of Georgia.

Through the partnership, Navicent Health patients will have expanded access to more than 250 existing therapeutic clinical trials and research projects from top Winship investigators. In many cases, eligible patients may be able to receive therapy through their local doctors, close to home. Patients will also benefit from the expertise of consulting physicians in collaboration with local specialists.

""Our priority at Navicent Health is to provide the right care, at the right cost and in the right place - close to home - for our patients. This is particularly true for cancer patients, who are not only burdened with a terrible diagnosis, but also face the burdens of travel and expense. We are thrilled to partner with the Winship Cancer Institute to provide patients in our region with additional treatment options, close to home,"" said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Navicent Health. ""We are thrilled that Navicent Health, the premier provider of healthcare in central Georgia, is partnering with Winship. The citizens of the region will now have improved access to the very best in cancer clinical trials and subspecialty cancer expertise,"" said Dr. Walter J. Curran, Jr., Winship's Executive Director.

""At Peyton Anderson Cancer Center, Navicent Health, we work tirelessly to ensure that our patients have access to the latest treatment options. Our partnership with Winship Cancer Institute is just one more tool that we can add to the patient's arsenal in their battle against this disease, and we are thrilled to provide this service to the patients of our region,"" said Dr. Frederick M Schnell, Director of Navicent Health's Georgia Cancer Coalition Grant and Medical Director of Oncology Services at Navicent Health.

The physicians and patients in the Winship Cancer Network will also benefit from direct access to Winship's multidisciplinary cancer meetings for collaboration in cancer care. Physicians, nurses, and clinical research staff in the network can leverage opportunities for Winship's specialized training and education programs.

""Our partnership with Winship Cancer Network is not only extremely beneficial to patients, but will also allow our skilled physicians and clinicians to expand their knowledge and expertise through collaboration, education and training. This is one more way that Navicent Health is providing the highest standard of cancer care for oncology patients in our region,"" said Dr. Christopher Hendry, Chief Medical Officer for Navicent Health.

Navicent Health is the second hospital system to join the statewide network. In January, Winship announced a partnership with Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, Ga. The Winship Cancer Network was created to improve access to high quality cancer care, the latest research, and ongoing patient and provider education for network.