When Dr. Raymond Demers, the Chief Executive Officer of the Great Lakes Cancer Institute (GLCI), approached the American Cancer Society about a Community Resource Center in the Flint, Michigan campus, he knew the importance of partnerships.

Great Lakes Cancer Institute Flint Campus Resource Center

"ACS is the leader in patient resource activities, and phone access to those activities, and web site access to those activities. It’s a trusted name," said Dr. Demers. "This is the business that they’re in, and we didn’t want to replicate the efforts. We couldn’t come close to doing it anyway, [and] it’s nice to be associated with the brand of ACS."

Great Lakes Cancer Institute is a non-profit collaboration of cancer services established in 2001 between McLaren Health Care Systems and Michigan State University (MSU). With ACS partnership, the GLCI combines the research resources of MSU and the patient support from ACS with the provider and patient network of McLaren Health Care for the benefit of those facing cancer throughout Michigan.

The Great Lakes Cancer Institute Flint campus is the first to open an American Cancer Society Resource Center. ACS has recruited volunteers and organized the trainings to be held at the treatment center in Flint. GLCI has supplied the Resource Center with computers and other needed office supplies, and the social worker on staff at Great Lakes Cancer Institute was an integral part of the training, making sure volunteers understood what patients should be referred to her for help.

Volunteers in training for the Resource Center

"We are putting ACS trained volunteers in each of our cancer centers," said Dr. Demers. "ACS is training people in Lapeer, we’re obtaining volunteers in Bay City, Mt. Clemens, and Lansing, but our active site is Flint. I go to that site all the time and I see our volunteers interacting with newly diagnosed patients."

ACS Community Program Manager Debbie Amey has been involved with the Great Lakes Cancer Institute Flint campus for several years and is happy to see the Resource Center come to fruition.

"I have been on the cancer committee for McLaren and heard all of the updates as they went forward with building their new treatment center," said Debbie. "It has been a collaboration from the start [and] we have already heard from one patient through our coordinator how wonderful and helpful this program is in his experience."

Highlighting the importance of partnership when dealing with cancer, Dr. Demers said, "Most cancer programs that are hospital based or health system based focus on treatment, and going beyond that is not our expertise. So it’s critically important that we partner with institutions, especially the ACS, where it is their expertise to educate patients beyond the acute treatment phase and to facilitate with resources, and just be there for the ongoing needs of the patient."

For more information about American Cancer Society Community Resource Centers in your area, please call us toll-free at 1-800-227-2345.

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last updated: 04/29/08

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