Dr. Alisha Kassam
Physician Leader, Regional Cancer Program, Southlake Health
Monique Rodrigue
Patient
Regular screenings play a crucial role in detecting cancer early, improving health outcomes, and in many cases – saving lives.
When people need healthcare, knowing that leading edge care is close to home makes a difference. From routine screening to innovative treatment, accessing care in a patient’s own community reduces travel time and stress, allowing healing to happen near loved ones.
This is especially true when it comes to Southlake Health’s approach to cancer care. Regular screenings play a crucial role in detecting cancer early, improving health outcomes, and in many cases, saving lives. When patients have to travel long distances, they may delay screening, which can lead to serious consequences.
Monique Rodrigue was almost one of those patients. During one of the busiest times of her life, Monique considered postponing a routine mammogram. Instead, she made an appointment at Southlake Health, a large community hospital just 10 minutes away from her home in Newmarket, Ontario. Her mammogram detected stage one, triple positive breast cancer — an aggressive form of breast cancer.
Strengthening cancer care in Ontario
Southlake is a designated hub for cancer care in Ontario and serves some of the fasted growing and aging communities in Canada. It provides publicly funded mammograms through the Ontario Breast Screening Program, as well as by referral from primary care providers. All women ages 40 and older can self-refer for a mammogram.
After Monique’s mammogram, things moved quickly. Within days, she was called back for a biopsy, followed by a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatment within weeks. Today, she is cancer free.
By increasing our capacity and making mammograms more accessible, we’re helping more patients access the specialized care they need, close to home.
“I could not imagine going into Toronto for treatment, fighting traffic,” said Rodrigue. “Every day, I felt more and more confident in my decision to get care close to home.”
Timely cancer screening close to home is lifesaving. The need for accessible cancer screening and care is growing. The World Health Organization anticipates a 77 per cent increase in cancer diagnoses by 2050. In Canada, breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer, with an estimated one in eight women expected to develop it in their lifetime.
Innovation made possible by donors
In recent years, Southlake has expanded its diagnostic and treatment capabilities with innovative technologies, supported by philanthropic investments from community donors and organizations. Three state-of-the-art mammography machines were added to expand screening to an additional 1,500 patients annually. Two of the machines have biopsy capabilities that reduce appointment times and improve diagnostics capabilities. Southlake performs approximately 16,000 mammograms each year.
“The new mammography machines help Southlake meet the growing demand for breast cancer screenings and diagnostics, with the best technology available,” said Dr. Alisha Kassam, Physician Leader, Regional Cancer Program at Southlake. “By increasing our capacity and making mammograms more accessible, we’re helping more patients access the specialized care they need, close to home.”
Partnerships will strengthen cancer care
Southlake provides comprehensive cancer services and programs for patients and families across York Region and southern Simcoe County. It collaborates with leading institutions such as the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and The Hospital for Sick Children. Southlake’s Regional Cancer Centre was the first organization to join the Princess Margaret Cancer Care Network, bringing resources from one of the top five cancer centres in the world to patients in York Region and Simcoe County. This type of partnership between organizations is the future of healthcare, an integrated system where resources and expertise are shared and collaboration is the norm. It has led to improved access to care for Southlake’s patients, and more rapid dissemination of clinical guidance, advanced technologies, education, and innovations to advance cancer care closer to home.
The message is clear: leading edge cancer care is not somewhere else. It’s available close to home.
Learn more at southlake.ca or by speaking with your health care provider about cancer screening.
