"I love The Future of Cancer Research and Care"

2022-05-06 16:53:21

skip to Main ContentHomeRead the ReleaseBoard of DirectorsFrequently Asked QuestionsFred Hutch Cancer CenterFred Hutchinson Cancer CenterThe Future of Cancer Research and CareFOR PATIENTS RESEARCH CAREERS DONATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS Fred Hutchinson Cancer CenterThe Future of Cancer Research and CareFOR PATIENTS RESEARCH CAREERS DONATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) have merged to form Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a unified adult cancer research and care center that brings together Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) into a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is also a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine and UW Medicine’s cancer program. For two decades, SCCA and its founding members—Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children’s and UW Medicine—have worked together to create a clinical research and care program that leads the world in helping prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and advance cures for patients. Now, this important collaboration brings research and care closer together, combining the people, programs and facilities of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and SCCA into one cohesive organization. We are excited for what this evolution in our structure means for patients and the future of cancer research and care in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Our VisionFred Hutchinson Cancer Center will accelerate its research excellence in fundamental science, public health, infectious disease and cancer biology, and the development, evaluation and use of new cancer discoveries and treatments.Our unified organization provides patients with enhanced, personalized care that builds upon SCCA’s and UW Medicine’s clinical excellence and offers greater access to the most cutting-edge cancer care and clinical trials, bringing research and clinical care closer together.The superior care patients have come to expect from us will continue uninterrupted; this evolution in our structure enables us to provide improved care experiences and greater integration across care teams.Seattle Children’s will continue to function independently, working in close partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center to advance breakthroughs in adult and pediatric oncology. About UsLearn more about our organizations:Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is being announced?On April 1, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and UW Medicine completed the restructure of their longtime relationship and the formation of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. This unified adult cancer research and care center brings together Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance into a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is also a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine and UW Medicine’s cancer program. How has the partnership between members of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance changed?Under the new structure, SCCA and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have merged to form Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a unified adult cancer research and care center that brings together Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and SCCA into a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is also a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine and UW Medicine’s cancer program. As part of the merger, all SCCA clinical sites will be renamed “Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.” Adult clinical care previously provided through SCCA will be provided through Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.  Members of UW Physicians, who are UW School of Medicine faculty, provide cancer care at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and other parts of UW Medicine. Dr. Tom Lynch is the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center president and director and a member of the UW Medicine senior management team.Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center now provides oversight of the clinically integrated adult cancer program, which includes its clinical operations and the cancer services delivered at UW Medical Center.  Seattle Children’s will continue operating independently and be the central site for pediatric cancer care among the organizations. What is the vision for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center?Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is a single, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to translating scientific discovery into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of cancer and related diseases. As UW Medicine’s cancer program and a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine,  Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center now provides oversight of the clinically integrated adult cancer program, which includes its clinical operations and the cancer services delivered at UW Medical Center. Why were the organizations merged?Our goal in creating a unified organization that is a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine is to make life beyond cancer a reality for patients and their families.The creation of a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine better positions us to improve the patient experience and advance the overall mission of UW Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Furthermore, it allows us to build an aligned clinical program that improves our ability to serve more patients in our community, in the region and beyond.For our patients, our goal is to improve outcomes by:Creating a better experience, which integrates primary and specialty care and allows access to all we have to offerIncreasing access to the latest, innovative care and clinical researchFor our research, our goal is to identify cures faster by:Increasing the number and speed of clinical trialsAccelerating research and translating it to patients as quickly as possibleFor our teams, our goal is to improve how we work together by:Reducing barriers to coordination and collaborationPlanning research, clinical services and growth in a more coordinated, strategic wayWhat led to the decision to restructure?For the past two decades, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s members worked together to create a clinical research and care program that leads the world in helping prevent, diagnose, treat and advance cures for cancer. But cancer care and research have changed significantly over the past 20 years, and we now have a deeper understanding of disease and how to prevent, diagnose and treat it. We also have a deeper understanding of our strengths in cancer care and research, as well as the complexity that our current structure creates.We believed that our structure must evolve to be more aligned and agile. Our ultimate goals are to accelerate research, improve patient care and improve health outcomes for patients with cancer.How have events of the last two years informed this restructure?Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and its members have regularly reviewed and discussed approaches to strengthening our collaboration since we began our shared work 20 years ago. The experiences of the past two years – from the COVID-19 pandemic to the nation’s reckoning with racial inequities – have only amplified the urgency and potential impact of evolving our approach.  Each of our organizations rose to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating our ability to innovate, uphold our commitment to our patients and advance research even against the backdrop of pandemic restrictions. We led the world in pushing the science forward as quickly as possible – developing new COVID tests and processing tests from across the country, conducting real-time surveillance and providing a leadership role in the clinical trials that resulted in unprecedented speed of vaccine development. We delivered hundreds of thousands of vaccines to our community. By example, we showed what is possible when health organizations rethink their processes and approach.   Equally importantly, historical and recent events continue to highlight and reinforce the deep correlation between social inequities and poorer health outcomes, including for patients with cancer. Our organizations are strongly committed to addressing health inequities, so that our research and care benefit all patients. We are building an inclusive Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center that embraces the diversity of experience, background and perspectives that drive innovation and support a thriving workforce. How will you continue to advance the organizations’ commitment to antiracism and improving health outcomes for all populations?Together through the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium supported by our NCI cancer center support grant (CCSG), we are addressing the cancer needs of our community, including cancers that disproportionately affect BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and other underrepresented communities. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a key component of the grant and formalizes the Consortium and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s commitment to this work.The restructure allows us to benefit from the ongoing DEI work each organization is doing today, enhancing our collective understanding and ability to move our organizations forward. The restructure further enables us to:Better identify and combat healthcare inequities related to cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment and integrate this work into our clinical programs and dashboards, so we can develop the solutions faster.Ensure timely access to care, equitable access to clinical trials/therapies, and the best outcomes by following and studying outcomes and clinical enrollment to identify and eliminate disparities.Better connect comprehensive research to the adult clinical setting, positioning Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine to lead the way in applying an equity lens to our strategy, design of research programs, and support of those research programs.Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine are committed to DEI and to becoming antiracist organizations. This work is and will remain critical to our missions. We are committed to continuing our DEI work and to foster inclusive cultures that embrace diversity. Becoming antiracist organizations is not something we have accomplished yet or work that can be finished, but rather something we remain committed to work on and make part of our organizational cultures.How does this restructure improve cancer research and care?The restructure to form a clinically integrated adult cancer program offers greater organizational alignment and agility for our alliance. The restructure has been designed to improve our patients’ experience, further reduce the time from research to the delivery of breakthrough treatments, improve the structures that shape our planning and communication to patients, partners and employees and collectively inspire donors to support our mission. We also believe that creating Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and moving forward under this new clinically integrated structure further strengthens our organizations’ contributions to Washington State in health care delivery, economic growth and a robust life sciences industry.  Will there be any changes to patients’ current care (such as physician or location of care)?The new structure will not make changes to patients’ doctors or care teams as part of this transition. Patients will continue to receive the superior care that they have come to expect from us. In fact, through the restructure we expect to improve the patient experience and bring even more innovation to patients and their families.Will there be any changes to the current research programs at the partner organizations?Under the new structure, the vaccine and infectious diseases, basic and human biology, computational science and public health research conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will continue as part of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and UW-based research will remain at UW. The partnership between UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s will continue, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Research Institute will also work together to advance pediatric oncology research.How will Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s continue to work together to advance pediatric oncology research?Seattle Children’s, one of SCCA’s original alliance members, will continue to function independently, working in close partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center to advance breakthroughs in adult and pediatric oncology.How do I make a gift to support cancer programs?To make a contribution, you can give online at fredhutch.org or contact our philanthropy team at [email protected] or 206.667.4399. Contributions made to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will benefit adult oncology programs at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and clinically integrated parts of UW Medicine.May I direct my gift to an adult oncology clinician or researcher based at UW Medicine?Yes, all gifts made will be directed to the intended program and be used for its intended purpose.For questions about your current or past support of UW Medicine, please contact UW Medicine Advancement at [email protected] or 206.543.5686.For questions about your past support of SCCA, please contact [email protected] or 206.667.4399.Copyright © Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - All Rights Reserved 2022Terms of Use & Privacy PolicyCookie PolicyBack To Top