Prostate Cancer Centre Provides Wrap-Around Care for Men
When the Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) was established 25 years ago, it quietly operated in the background offering support and resources to men diagnosed with and battling prostate cancer. As the years passed, the organization’s advocacy started growing louder and louder in hopes that the commotion would catch men’s attention and spur them into action. Since Jeff Davison came on board as CEO two years ago, the Prostate Cancer Centre has turned the volume up to 11, removing barriers and excuses as it provides a better approach to healthcare.
“The PCC has always operated with a patient-centred approach, but with Jeff’s leadership and vision we have been able to expand our program and supports to help even more men and their families not only here in Calgary but across the province. His determination is shifting perspectives on how we can better deliver healthcare,” says Stacey Smith, director of Development and Communications for Prostate Cancer Centre.
As all donation-dependent organizations can attest, it’s becoming more and more difficult to raise money and sustain operations, and Davison steers the conversation away from dollars and the disease and focuses instead on the most important and resonant part of the equation: the people.
Breast Cancer Canada has developed messaging that shines a light on who they are fighting for – our mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, aunts, and friends – to highlight the extended community that is affected by a diagnosis and remind those battling the disease that they are not alone. Davison wants the same sense of community and support for men fighting prostate cancer, and he is using his voice and vision to manifest it. The combination of the stigma of prostate cancer and the tendency toward men’s aversion to regular doctor visits are barriers that the team is tearing down in the process.
“Prostate cancer affects one in six men in Alberta during their lifetime, so you are looking at the fastest-growing, most impactful cancer that nobody is talking about,” says Davison.
The national average is one in eight, with prostate cancer being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men at 22 percent of cases. Alberta is the only jurisdiction actively engaging men over 40 to get tested, and these numbers show that the PCC’s efforts are working. Since 2009, the testing vehicle has been just that: a vehicle. The MAN VAN® is Canada’s first and Alberta’s only mobile men’s health clinic that offers free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood tests that are used for the early detection of prostate cancer. The MAN VAN® was designed to be clinical and functional yet comfortable on the inside while making a statement on the outside. The units break down barriers and set up wherever men are, whether that’s car shows or corporate functions, oil sands camps or community festivals. Volunteers work the crowds to encourage men to pop in for a few minutes and get checked.
To support these efforts, the PCC added a rural MAN VAN® to the fleet in 2012, and this past June, onboarded a brand new unit that will be traveling across the province. This heavy-duty rig is robust enough to navigate difficult terrain in remote areas to ensure all Albertans, especially those in vulnerable and isolated populations, are given an easier entry point into health care. The PCC also added a retail MAN VAN® that sets up inside shopping malls, trade shows, and indoor festivals to create year-round coverage. There are upwards of 300 MAN VAN clinics a year that generate more than 5,000 PSA blood tests.
The PCC operates a fully accredited lab which analyzes the blood tests to ensure that test results are processed within 48 to 72 hours. The team notifies men directly of the results and provides them with clear next steps to follow. This simple blood test can save lives, and while there are a lot of steps in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer, getting men to take this first step is critical.
“Men are more likely to not ever seek medical help unless they know something is physically wrong. They generally don’t want to talk about their health, which leads to men having fewer likely entry points into health care because we’re not taught to go and get things checked annually,” says Davison. “And for a disease that has little to no symptoms until it’s too late, the only way to combat metastatic prostate cancer is to get to the point of early detection.”
All of Calgary’s urologists are based at the Southern Alberta Institute of Urology (SAIU) and the PCC’s inpatient care, research – including the 21 clinical trials, follow-up assessments, education, and support services, along with EFW Radiology, who provides diagnostic imaging and prostate biopsies, are all run out of this one space.
Dr. Brian Donnelly’s vision came to life in 1999 with the support of key members of the community and prostate cancer survivors W. Brett Wilson and Doc Seaman, and since then the team has sought out efficiencies and additions that will better serve the region’s men. This summer, a long-awaited expansion transformed the Prostate Cancer Centre into a place of light, hope, and healing.
Today, this innovative space features a full-spectrum support network for men and their families. There are sound-proof quiet rooms that offer pockets where patients can process the information they’ve received or take a minute to collect themselves privately. The PCC’s spaces look more like living rooms than doctors’ offices, and they aim to put men and their loved ones at ease to facilitate often difficult conversations.
Whether people are there for clinical trials, physical assessments with doctors, or information sessions about the disease and next steps, these spaces all integrate technology to enable collaboration with other healthcare professionals as well as loved ones living elsewhere who want to be part of the conversation.
The PCC also recently introduced a pre-habilitation program in order to get people healthier before surgery to help decrease post-operative complications. Prostate cancer is slow growing, so patients can use that six to 12 weeks before surgery to improve mental and physical fitness.
“The patient’s health going into treatment matters to the outcomes coming out. We believe it will have a significant impact on our ability to reduce time in hospital post-surgery, which is good for the patient, it’s good for the budget, and it provides a better quality of patient impact on the outset of surgery,” says Davison.
Pre-habilitation trainers set up fitness programs and host remote and in-person exercise sessions that are tailored to the individuals; some need to strengthen their bodies to better withstand surgery while others take up practices like Tai Chi to help focus their minds to deal with the stresses of treatment, recovery, and side effects. No matter the program, the 72 patients in the inaugural pre-habilitation trial all wear Garmin devices to measure their stats in real-time, and the team is excited for the first results to start coming in to test their premise.
The extensive renovations have created an impressive, modern, comprehensive facility but there is still more that can be done. Fundraising campaigns are earmarked for such additions as innovation suites with procedural capabilities that will allow the PCC to offer additional urological care by including bladder and kidney cancer clinical trials. With no government funding, the PCC’s programming relies on private and corporate support, and a majority of the charity’s donors, large and small, have been personally impacted by prostate cancer. The need for more services and funding is huge, and Jeff Davison and his team never let off the accelerator so they can continue to support the men and their families who come through the door.
“Every day in the back of your mind is ‘what do I need to do today to make sure tomorrow’s successful?’” says Davison. “This is actually life or death and if we weren’t here doing what we’re doing, I don’t know who would be.”
They are clearly the right people for the job. Calgarians are fortunate to have a world-class facility available to them, and we are all grateful that the Prostate Cancer Centre is leading this important fight one test, one man, one van at a time.
Southern Alberta Institute of Urology
Rockyview General Hospital
6500 – 7007 14 Street SW
403.943.8888 | info@prostatecancercentre.ca
www.prostatecancercentre.ca
