HONOLULU — Ahead of October being celebrated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Nov. 12 celebrated as National Cancer Awareness Day, the Hawai‘i Pacific Health earned systemwide accreditation for cancer care.
Hawai‘i Pacific Health (HPH) is the first system in the state to earn a prestigious accreditation for the cancer care it provides to patients across Hawai‘i after being recognized as an Integrated Network Cancer Program from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. HPH made the announcement about the accreditation on Monday.
The commission evaluates more than 35 standards, including specialized credentials for medical staff, specific procedures for cancer, data collection and research, and patient services ranging from psychological and nutrition to palliative care.
All four of Hawai‘i Pacific Health’s facilities, Wilcox Medical Center, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women &Children, Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Medical Center have been individually accredited by the commission for years, starting with Straub in 1980.
This additional INCP accreditation now recognizes HPH for providing quality, comprehensive care for cancer patients across all its medical centers.
“We are extremely proud of this accreditation, which acknowledges that Hawai‘i Pacific Health physicians and medical teams have taken the integration of cancer care to the next level,” said Dr. Jeffrey Killeen, the HPH medical director for oncology services, who is also a breast and gynecological pathologist.
“It means that patients in Hawai‘i can trust that they will receive consistent and continuous high-quality care within all of our facilities.”
Patients at accredited facilities gain access to clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services.
Hawai‘i Pacific Health Cancer Centers have been providing lifesaving cancer care for people of all ages across the state for decades. Nearly 3,000 men, women and children are diagnosed or treated for cancer each year through HPH’s four medical centers and more than 70 locations across the state.
Specialized services at Wilcox Medical Center in Lihu‘e offer patients the only dedicated cancer services and infusion center on the island. Wilcox Medical Center has started an outpatient palliative care program for cancer patients.
Straub led efforts to develop a process that reduces the number of times cancer patients visit the emergency department. Connecting clinic patients directly with an infusion nurse was so successful, the practice has been adopted systemwide.
Straub Medical Center’s Cancer Center teams treat patients on O‘ahu and travels to Maui to provide care for patients.
The James T. Kakuda Cancer Center at Pali Momi Medical Center is the first integrated center of its type, serving central and west O‘ahu.
Pali Momi’s cancer center recently opened a multidisciplinary clinic, including surgeons who specialize in gynecology, oncology and breast surgery. In 2021, it provided more than 24,000 hematology, oncology and infusion treatments.
Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women &Children has the only women’s cancer facility in Hawai‘i that specializes in treating breast land gynecologic oncology patients.
About 200 children receive specialized cancer care at Kapi‘olani each year. About 85 percent are in clinical trials through Kapiolani’s membership in the National Cancer Institute-sponsored Children’s Oncology Group.
Kapi‘olani opened Hawai‘i’s first CAR T-cell clinical trial for pediatric patients. It is the only dedicated site in the state for bone marrow collection and transplants for children.
Hawai‘i Pacific Health is a not-for-profit health care system, including medical centers, clinics, physicians and other caregivers working to create a healthier Hawai‘i.
