Green Bay – HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute is the proud recipient of a $31,724 grant from St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help patients in Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula fight childhood cancer.
The funds will be used to provide children access to pediatric cancer clinical trials provided by HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute, and to increase awareness about the benefits of pediatric cancer clinical trials. “The ability to conduct research studies opens up new avenues of hope, as they provide our patients with more treatment options,” said Christy Gilchrist, Director, HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute. “Research compares the best-known treatment with new treatments, which have the possibility of improving current outcomes. Standard treatments used today are a result of past clinical trials.”
HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute works closely with HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, home to Northeast Wisconsin’s first and only pediatric hematology-oncology clinic, to identify patients who may be candidates for cancer clinical trials. “Clinical trials can help us better understand new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent childhood cancer,” said Dr. Catherine Long, pediatric hematologist-oncologist at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital and Prevea Health. “They also help us find new ways to manage the symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments.”
HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute also works directly with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which along with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), has increased the overall cure rate for childhood cancers from under 10 percent 50 years ago to more than 80 percent today.
St. Baldrick’s Foundation infrastructure grants, like the one awarded to HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute, are awarded based on the need of the institution and its patients, anticipated results of the grant and local participation in St. Baldrick’s fundraising events and activities.
“Anyone who participated in or donated to a St. Baldrick’s fundraising event in our area this past year played a major role in helping HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute secure this grant,” said Gilchrist. “We are immensely grateful to the generous people of Northeast Wisconsin who are as passionate about fighting childhood cancer as we are.”
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About HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute
HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute works directly with the National Cancer Institute to bring people in the Northeast Wisconsin region access to the newest, leading-edge cancer clinical trials, drugs and prevention studies. For more information, click here.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer. St. Baldrick’s funds some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.