Edgewood, KY — St. Elizabeth Healthcare was recently named a Care Continuum Center of Excellence (CCCOE) by the GO₂ Foundation for Lung Cancer. With this designation, St. Elizabeth becomes one of more than 30 community hospitals recognized by the GO₂ Foundation for providing patient-focused, comprehensive multidisciplinary lung cancer care.

To qualify for CCCOE status, a community hospital must meet rigorous qualifying criteria that ensures they are providing the highest level of patient care. Recognized programs offer a comprehensive range of services that span all phases of lung cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up.

At St. Elizabeth, this includes:

• Care from nationally known leaders in lung cancer care.
• The expertise of two nurse navigators to guide patients through the care they require.
• A multidisciplinary team approach that encompasses all areas of patient education and care options.
• Weekly meetings of the Nodule Review Board that foster collaboration and teamwork between the various specialties involved in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.
• Molecular biomarker testing that enables personalized treatment tailored to your genetic makeup.
• Minimally invasive biopsy methods and surgical techniques for faster recovery, fewer complications and better results.
• Access to the newest therapies and latest clinical trials for advanced care that’s on the forefront of technology and treatments.
• Education and support to help patients make informed decisions with the best outcome possible.
• The St. Elizabeth Cancer Center, a 250,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility designed with these patient needs in mind, is scheduled to open in fall 2020 to provide advanced cancer care in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati region.

The CCCOE designation underscores St. Elizabeth’s commitment to reduce the high rate of lung cancer common in our region. Since its launch in 2013, St. Elizabeth’s successful Lung Cancer Screening Program has taken direct aim at the area’s high lung cancer rates, completing more than 11,000 screenings and identifying more than 100 lung cancers under Stage III, when treatment is most effective.

St. Elizabeth previously earned and continues to maintain designations as a Screening Center of Excellence and Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence. As a CCCOE, we take that one step further to bring our patients access to high-quality lung cancer services without traveling to a large academic or research institution.

The honor provides St. Elizabeth the opportunity to:

• Collaborate with other CCCOE programs to share best practices and learnings to ensure the highest quality care.
• Access education and support resources for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
• Expand research and clinical study opportunities.
• Participate in the CCCOE Impact Study, which identifies opportunities for quality improvements within the System and provides comparative analysis of performance.

“We are proud and honored to be working with St. Elizabeth Healthcare as a GO₂ Foundation Care Continuum Center of Excellence. Their commitment will help save lives and improve long-term survivorship by giving patients access to high-quality, multidisciplinary care close to home. They are the example to follow,” said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, Co-Founder and President of GO₂ Foundation.

“The team-based approach that we have is really key,” said Dr. Michael Gieske, Director of Lung Cancer Screening and Lead Physician  at St. Elizabeth Physicians Ft. Mitchell. “It prevents patients from getting lost in the System and experiencing delays in their care. Our process can shave months off the time it takes to access care.”

St. Elizabeth is investing heavily in building programs and focusing resources on aggressive lung cancer screening and early detection and the Lung Screening Program is just one more example of St. Elizabeth being “right here” for the Northern Kentucky community. To learn if you are a candidate for a screening, visit stelizabeth.com/lung.

About St. Elizabeth Healthcare

St. Elizabeth Healthcare operates five facilities throughout Northern Kentucky and more than 115 primary care and specialty office locations in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. A member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, St. Elizabeth is a mission-based organization committed to improving the health of the communities it serves, providing more than $116 million in uncompensated care and benefit to the community in 2018. For more information, visit www.stelizabeth.com.

About GO₂ Foundation for Lung Cancer

Founded by patients and survivors, GO₂ Foundation for Lung Cancer transforms survivorship as the world’s leading organization dedicated to saving, extending, and improving the lives of those vulnerable, at risk, and diagnosed with lung cancer. GO₂ Foundation works to change the reality of living with lung cancer by ending stigma, increasing public and private research funding, and ensuring access to care. Visit us at www.go2foundation.org