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Children's Cancer Services
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St. John’s has had a close working relationship with
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis in order to care for pediatric
cancer patients for more than 15 years.
Nurses from St. John’s Pediatric Outpatient Services
(POPS) and St. John’s Clinic receive training at St. Jude to provide specialized
pediatric cancer care to patients in Springfield.
Treatment protocols are
established by St. Jude and followed by St. John’s caregivers.
St. Jude also provides medication and needed supplies for administering
chemotherapy treatments. Patients return to St. Jude periodically for
regular assessments and when more complex or invasive therapies or
procedures are needed.
“The parents and children in the community really appreciate
being able to stay home and get the same level of care they would at St.
Jude,” said Susanne Miller, vice president for St. John’s Hospital. “We’re
proud of our relationship with St. Jude.”
St. Jude is one of the world's premier centers for
research and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children, primarily pediatric
cancers. About 4,500 patients are seen at St. Jude yearly, most of whom are
treated on a continuing outpatient basis as part of ongoing research programs.
The hospital also maintains 58 beds for patients
requiring hospitalization during treatment. Patients at St. Jude are accepted by
physician referral when the child or adolescent is newly diagnosed or suspected
of having a disease under research and treatment by the St. Jude staff.
The financial cost of cancer treatment can be devastating for any family,
not to mention the emotional and physical toll. Lives and family routines
may be completely uprooted, and we can only imagine what it must be like for
the child and family members to face blood tests, X-rays, scans, bone marrow
examinations, or surgery. In addition, there are the potential side effects
of therapy, such as hair loss, nausea, pain, and the risk of infection. St.
Jude covers all costs not covered by insurance for medical treatment
rendered at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Families without insurance
are never asked to pay.
One of the goals of cancer treatment for children is to have
as much “normal routine” in their lives as possible. That includes having
treatments closer to home in a timely, efficient, and safe manner whenever
possible, thus allowing more time at home, school, and in the child’s own
community with his or her family and friends. For more
information about St. John's Pediatric Outpatient Services (POPS), please
call 417-820-5500.
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