By MATT LINDSEY

Despite significant increases in cancer treatment facilities and programs in St. Lawrence County in recent years, a number of local residents still have to travel far away for cancer-related surgeries.

Locally, surgeons do operate on patients diagnosed with cancer, but often they cannot.

“The hospitals in this area are community or critical access hospitals that do not have the resources for the highest level of care,” said Rebecca Faber, Canton-Potsdam Hospital corporate communications director.

“Sometimes, depending on the complexities of the person's current health status, the patient's health history, and comorbidities (other conditions that may or may not complicate the surgery), the surgery may be conducted at a tertiary health center, such as the ones in Burlington or Syracuse,” she added.

Tertiary centers offer higher-level care and resources that are required should a patient need specific emergency or critical care during or immediately following surgery, she said.

In most cases, those impacted by cancer can have follow-up appointments and treatments at the CPH Center for Cancer Care in Potsdam or at Claxton-Hepburn’s Richard E. Winter Cancer Center in Ogdensburg, regardless of whether their surgery took place locally or out of the area.

Administrators and the medical staffs of CPH and Gouverneur Hospital are acutely aware of the burden that travel to another health center entails, Faber said.

“It's why we've aggressively recruited medical staff and why we have a retention program for our exceptional existing medical staff members,” she said.

Faber emphasized that “our hospitals have resources appropriate to our size community.” Local health care professionals try to ensure that “patients don't travel outside the area for surgeries that can be performed here because hospitals need to continue to be there for everyone, regardless of ability to pay.”

Conversation Takes Place

When a St. Lawrence County resident is diagnosed with cancer and surgery is recommended, a conversation takes place between the patient and his or her provider to determine where it should take place.

St. Lawrence Health System has four general surgeons currently on staff: Dr. David Rosner in Gouverneur, and Dr. Jay Dewell, Dr. Mark Healey, and Dr. Robert Nordberg for surgeries in Potsdam. The area's only urogynecologic surgeon, Dr. Nicole Weber is located in Gouverneur.

Dr. Healey is also a trauma surgeon. “He is part of our effort to be verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level III Trauma Center,” Faber said.

“All of these surgeons perform surgery that is indicated for a variety of cancers,” she said. “This is another way we are attempting to assist people to stay close to home.”

Personal Story

“Personally, I had my cancer surgery in Burlington -- my doctor recommended Seattle, but I couldn't travel,” Faber said. She has a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that has now spread to her liver.

Her decision was guided partly by family considerations. “My husband couldn't take two weeks off from work to travel to Seattle,” she said. “But most of the decision was listening to my doctor.”

The surgery Faber required, a Whipple procedure, could be performed only in a tertiary medical center because it is close to open-heart surgery in complexity and the resources it requires.

“I was able to be followed by our own CPH cancer center for treatment, even though the initial surgery couldn't be done at CPH,” she explained. “It's really whatever is best for the patient, first medically and second for personal/family considerations. Some patients choose to have the personal override the professional. And some have no choice because of income and insurance coverage.”

Due to her cancer being rare and having progressed beyond what local cancer centers can handle, Faber is now being treated in Boston. “Fortunately, I'm moving there.”

If patients believe their care does not meet expectations, they may contact CPH's director of patient experience at 315-261-5050. At GH, a social worker performs the same service: 315-287-1000.

“Patients may also contact the New York State Department of Health,” Faber said, “of course, we appreciate the opportunity to address the issue before outside agencies are contacted.”