Services Provided
At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center patients never feel like they are fighting the battle against cancer alone. We take a team approach using many different specialties to help patients through every aspect of the disease. Treating the disease is only one aspect. Helping patients handle all the challenges that go along with treatment is the comprehensive care we deliver.
Support Services
Patient Navigation Services
At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center all breast cancer patients and many others will have the opportunity to have their care coordinated through a patient navigator.
The patient navigator helps navigate patients through the health care system by connecting patients with community resources, support, and health care education resources for patients and their family members. The patient navigator also assists in making appointments for the patient with a multidisciplinary care team that includes specialists like oncologists, radiologists and surgeons and the many support services available at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center.
Lynn Marshall, RN is the patient navigator at the Cancer Center. Her position is funded through a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Click here if you need assistance accessing the many cancer services available in Salina or have questions, call Lynn Marshall, patient navigator, at (785) 452-7335 or email lmarshal@srhc.com.
Nutrition Counseling
The nutritional care of patients with cancer can be very complex and must be individualized. At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center our registered dietitian is trained to work with cancer patients and will ensure that all patients have the tools needed to maintain energy for successful treatment.
Click here to learn more about nutrition and cancer or call Jeanne Byquist, cancer program dietitian at 785-452-4849.
Cancer Care Coordination
Cancer care coordination is key to ensuring a smooth treatment plan for someone diagnosed with cancer. Staff at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center helps provide counseling, education, and informational services, and referrals to community resources to all patients with cancer.
Patients learn to cope with the diagnosis of cancer and the many emotions that go along with it; also how to talk to their family and friends about their diagnosis and treatment. Care coordination helps patients connect to needed resources such as financial assistance, transportation issues, childcare during treatment, temporary housing during treatment, durable medical equipment and home health needs just to name a few.
For more information call 785-452-4843.
Appearance Center
Maintaining a positive outlook is part of the team building process of cancer treatment. Our Appearance Center staff is available to assist you in feeling and looking good while undergoing cancer treatment. In conjunction with the American Cancer Society and the generosity of other local entities, we offer "Look Good...Feel Better" sessions. Wigs, hats and other items are available at no charge.
Spiritual support
Spiritual support may be a cornerstone in the path toward healing. Our chaplaincy department provides compassionate spiritual and emotional support to people of all faiths or of no particular faith. Encouraging a more holistic approach to healthcare, our professional chaplains respect and respond to value and beliefs of all our patients. Click here for more information about our Chaplaincy Department.
Guest Housing
Special guest accommodations are available at the Rebecca A. Morrison House to primary care givers or families of Salina Regional Health Center inpatients, Salina Surgical Center and patients receiving radiation therapy at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Click here for more information.
Participation in national clinical trials The Tammy Walker Cancer Center's association with the KU Cancer Center through the Midwest Cancer Alliance makes many of the same clinical trials available at KU also open to patients in Salina.
New patients at the Cancer Center are screened to determine whether they are eligible to participate in some of the latest, most promising treatments available.
Click here to learn more about clinical trials available to patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center or call Keri Kavouras, clinical trials nurse at (785) 452-7038.
Cancer Registry
At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center our registrar collects and manages cancer patient information. This collection of data is required by the State of Kansas. The data is used to provide information about treatment, stage, and follow-up.
For more information about cancer registry call Pam Ehlts, cancer registrar at (785) 452-7037.
Cancer Center Annual Report '07
Cancer Center Annual Report '08
Cancer Outreach
The Tammy Walker Cancer Center outreach program sets the standard of excellence and continues to receive awards and grants year after year for their services. Our cancer outreach program provides education and screening services for cancer prevention, early detection and treatment in communities throughout north central Kansas. Annual prostate, colon and skin cancer screenings and an annual breast cancer forum are also provided free of charge.
The Cancer Center's Outreach Program was one of only 125 programs in the United States to receive the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund grant to help with the fight against breast cancer in north central Kansas. The grant supports the Avon Breast Health Program at the cancer center and county health nurses in the 14-county Sunflower Health Network. The program provides education, referrals for low-cost or free mammograms to women with inadequate health insurance and clinical training for nurses who perform breast health exams.
For more information about the outreach programs at Tammy Walker Cancer Center please call Linda Hinnenkamp, outreach coordinator at (785) 452-4848.
Cancer Library
A resource library is available to provide patients and their families with the latest literature and information on specific types of cancer. The resource library is located at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. For our online cancer resource library, click here.
Tumor Board/Cancer Conference
Tumor Board meetings are held bi-weekly at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Tumor Boards are multidisciplinary consultations about the best treatment options available for cancer patients.
Treatment Specialties
Chemotherapy Administration
Medial oncology services at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center provides both inpatient and outpatient services. A dedicated inpatient unit at Salina Regional Health Center serves the specialized needs of hematology oncology patients requiring specialized care in a hospital setting under the supervision of a highly trained chemo certified staff. Most people undergoing cancer treatment do not require hospitalization. Outpatients are seen on the second floor of the Tammy Walker Cancer Center, making the latest chemotherapeutic interventions available in a spacious and calming environment.
Hematology Services
Hematology is the study of blood and its disorders. Larry Beck, M.D, oncologist and hematologist at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center is board certified and utilizes the latest clinical treatments and research trials for cancer and blood disorders. Hematologists look specifically at blood components such as blood count, and blood and bone marrow cells. Hematological tests can help diagnose anemia, hemophilia, blood-clotting disorders, and leukemia. Click here for more information about hematology.
Trilogy
The Trilogy is the world's first image-guided radiation therapy system optimized for both conventional and stereotactic approaches to treating cancer. This technology provides precise, high dose deliver to very small areas of the body while sparing healthy tissue.
Respiratory Gating
Trilogy offers respiratory gating technology, which allows treatment delivery in tandem with a patient's breathing, minimizing treatment volumes.
Rapid Arc
Rapid Arc provides a rotational beam of radiation, offering maximum dose in a matter of minutes while sparing healthy tissues.
Stereotactic Procedures
Stereotactic Procedures are a non-invasive surgical alternative for patients meeting specific criteria.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
Advanced technologies are able to deliver precise, focused radiation to cancerous tumors, yet spare surrounding normal tissue, which leads to fewer side effects.
Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)
The use of advanced imaging technology verifies tumor location in relation to healthy organs to ensure proper patient positioning prior to and during the treatment of certain cancers.
3-D Conformal Treatment Planning
Computer technology allows doctors to precisely target the three-dimensional shape of tumors with radiation.
