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The program becomes first of its kind to be accredited in Nevada Renown Health is pleased to announce the certification of the Thomas S. Dolan Pulmonary Rehabilitation program at Renown South Meadows Medical Center by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). AACVPR certification demonstrates that an organization's Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program is aligned with current guidelines set by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation for appropriate and effective early outpatient care of patients with cardiac or pulmonary issues. Certification offers peace of mind, so that patients can feel confident in knowing that staff has the experience and skills necessary to coordinate the many issues faced by people receiving a life-changing cardiac or pulmonary diagnosis.  Pulmonary rehabilitation programs help people with health issues such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) recover faster and live healthier.  “Having access to quality pulmonary rehabilitation services so close to home, staffed by a highly skilled group of compassionate care providers, truly is a gift to our community,” said Tony Slonim,MD, D.Ph., president and CEO of Renown. “We are extremely proud of the work being done in our pulmonary rehabilitation program, and also forever grateful for Tom Dolan’s donation to the program in 2019, which empowers Nevadans to improve both their health and quality of life.”  “Thomas S. Dolan Pulmonary Rehabilitation is the only accredited pulmonary rehabilitation program in the state of Nevada,” said Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Rehabilitation Hospital Vice President Chris Nicholas. “We take pride in this distinguished honor from the AACVPR as it acknowledges and amplifies the life-changing work happening here. Our dedicated caregivers provide support to our patients every step of the way, helping them lead vibrant and fulfilling lives despite their health conditions.” The comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program at Renown South Meadows Medical Center offers treadmills, stationary bicycles, strength training and an education classroom to help patients achieve health goals. To earn accreditation, Renown’s pulmonary rehabilitation program participated in an application process requiring extensive documentation of the program’s practices. AACVPR Program Certification is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR and other related professional societies. In November 2019, Tom Dolan, owner and founder of Dolan Auto Group, donated to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Renown South Meadows Medical Center after his personal experience thriving in pulmonary rehabilitation brought northern Nevada’s capabilities, and needs to his attention. His generous donation has allowed Renown to double the number of patients who receive treatment and increase the access to pulmonary rehab in our community. “As a former patient myself, I found so much benefit in my pulmonary rehab,” said Dolan. “I have always wanted to support this program and increase the number of people it serves. It’s great to see that we now have the only certified pulmonary rehab in Nevada. “The most essential component of lung health is breaking the cycle of inactivity associated with lung disease,” said Lung Critical Care Physician Dr. Farah Madhani-Lovely. “Our community is fortunate to have an accredited program like this to empower our patients.”   About AACVPR Founded in 1985, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the mission of reducing morbidity, mortality and disability from cardiovascular and pulmonary disease through education, prevention, rehabilitation, research and disease management. Central to the core mission is improving the quality of life for patients and their families. Learn more about AACVPR at www.aacvpr.org.

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What is an institute for cancer — and why does it matter that we have one right here in Reno? Here, a radiation oncologist answers those questions and more.  Sadly, our community health needs assessment shows cancer is the second leading cause of death in Washoe County. But many residents may not know there is an institute for cancer right here in Reno that can care for you or your loved one after diagnosis. Dr. Michael Hardacre, a radiation oncologist with Renown Institute for Cancer is here with more. What is an institute for cancer? The way I like to think of it: An Institute has healthcare providers highly trained in patient-centered care. For example, when you have cancer, many times you’ll see a lot of doctors. A program brings those doctors together — so you really have one team working together. An Institute takes that one step further. Say there are other needs beyond the doctor’s office such as nurse navigators, dietitians, physical therapists to help you get on track, etc. An Institute really proactively thinks of the need of the cancer patient. It then makes sure all those things are available to them throughout their treatment. The term “institute for cancer” identifies a cancer program that is comprehensive and multidisciplinary in nature. For Renown, that means that we have the specialists in medical oncology, surgical oncology and radiation oncology working together with other specialists to assure that a patient has coordinated care throughout the entire treatment course of cancer care. Together with cancer prevention and diagnostics, genetic assessment, supportive care, clinical trials, and cancer survivorship, the institute for cancer provides care for the community, families and patients along the entire spectrum of cancer care. What types of cancer do you treat? We’re fortunate to be able to provide cancer treatments for all types of cancers, and we’re one of the major referral centers for northern Nevada. Most commonly, just like much of the country, lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer are the most frequent we see. Our care spans brain, to neck cancer and everything in between. As an accredited comprehensive community cancer program, Renown Health provides services for all cancer types. The highest volume cancers treated at Renown are breast, colorectal, lung, genitourinary, blood and gynecologic cancers. Most treatments can be done right here in Reno, but when there are specialty needs such as stem cell or bone marrow transplantation, we partner with quaternary centers, like Stanford, to assure a smooth transition of care both to and from the quaternary center. What kinds of care and treatments are offered? We offer a wide range of comprehensive care. We treat the cancer itself — surgical, radiation oncology, medical oncology in the form of chemotherapy or pills. Also addressed: dietary needs, physical therapy and navigation through this whole process. People may be surprised by the scope and scale of the Renown Institute for Cancer. For instance, our Radiation Center has the latest technologies to treat cancers. This includes the Linear Accelerators, which are machines with treatment planning software tools. In addition to the traditional external radiation treatments provided in most centers, Renown performs specialty treatments using High-Dose Brachytherapy, a treatment with an active radiation “source” and in Brain Stereotactic Radiosurgery, assuring that patients can stay right here in northern Nevada — close to home. What does that mean for the quality of care? I think it’s always great in any environment to have external people come into your program and not only share what’s happening nationally and what we could do better, but also to validate “are you doing things at the highest level you can?” That accreditation process is just one way to give us that seal of approval. We’re lucky enough this year to get the gold award by the American College of Surgeons — its highest honor. We were honored to receive it. Why is important that you’re an accredited institute? Accreditation assures our community that quality is a top priority for us. Each of the accrediting bodies has a set of standards that identify service and quality standards. Renown Institute for Cancer has the following accreditations: American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer: Full Cancer Program accreditation, standards address issues from cancer prevention/diagnosis to treatment to survivorship and/or end-of-life. Renown received the Gold Level Accreditation in 2018, the highest level of accreditation possible; American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers: Full Breast Center/Program accreditation, standards address issues from breast cancer prevention/diagnosis to treatment to survivorship and/or end-of-life; American College of Radiology – Radiation Therapy: Full Radiation Oncology accreditation for radiation equipment, treatment planning, treatment and treatment follow-up; and American College of Radiology – Mammography Services.

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