Adult Oncology Unit
The inpatient Adult Oncology Unit at SBCH is a 21-bed unit dedicated to quality care of the cancer patient. It is located on the sixth floor and offers spectacular views of the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other side. There are ten private rooms allowing for care of the severely immuno-compromised patient, and five spacious semiprivate rooms.

With a professional staff of 48, the department consists of 37 RNs, one LVN, seven nursing assistants and three unit secretaries. The registered nurses are all trained and certified to administer chemotherapy and 11 of the registered nurses are oncology certified nurses. Patient education is a major focus of the floor and the nursing staff is especially proud of the unit's excellent physician-nurse collaboration that exists to meet all the needs of the cancer patient and their families.

The Oncology Unit maintains a liberal visiting policy and is supportive of family involvement in care. Families may stay overnight in the private rooms and a large family room is available for a quiet meeting outside of the patient's room. Other diversions consist of a portable TV/VCR with a video/DVD library, and a pet therapy program.

The management and the staff of the inpatient Adult Oncology Unit are proud of their accomplishments since its opening in April 1986 and hope for continued recognition by physicians, patients and hospital administration for the "special" care that is provided to the cancer patient. The Oncology Unit continues to receive excellent patient satisfaction ratings.

Spiritual Care

Cancer patients and their families are often in special need of spiritual support. The Department of Spiritual Care, with both professional and volunteer members, provides spiritual and emotional support to all patients and their families in coping with a range of issues. These include healing, prayer, grief, anger, pain, loneliness and ethical values. This interfaith program is under the direction of The Reverend Pamela Washburn. You can reach the department and its staff at 569-8386.

Palliative Care Consultation Service

Cottage Health System inaugurated its Palliative Care Consultation Service (PCCS) in August 2005 and today works in partnership with Hospice of Santa Barbara, Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, and the St. Francis Hospital Foundation. This important new program was developed as a direct result of recommendations made by physicians on the Medical Advisory Panel in November 2003.

Palliative care is specialized care that helps patients who are living with serious illness. The Palliative Care Consultation Service treats pain, manages difficult symptoms, and provides spiritual and emotional support to patients and their families. The PCCS can also help patients identify what is most important to them and their families and help communicate these wishes to the healthcare team.

Palliative care differs from hospice care in that it can be started early in the course of illness and is provided at the same time as other treatments a patient is receiving.

Anyone involved with a patient's care can ask the primary physician for a palliative care referral. This includes the patient, family members, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, case managers, and others. The service is also available to support nurses with information, coaching, and help assessing the need for palliative care.

Once the primary physician has given the order for palliative care, members of the team will begin meeting with the patient and the patient's family, as well as with the patient's physicians and nurses to determine how we can help.

The team will make recommendations to the primary physician regarding pain and symptom management. Team members will spend time with the patient and family, providing emotional and spiritual support. Finally, the team will work with the patient's case manager regarding discharge planning needs.

In 2008 there were 719 referrals made to PCCS; of these 50 percent had a cancer diagnosis.

Palliative Care Consultation Team

	•	Dennis Baker, MD	Medical Director
	•	Michael Bordofsky, MD	Medical Director
	•	Michael Kearney, MD	Medical Director
	•	Eric Trautwein, MD,	Medical Director
	•	Susan Gibson, RN, CPCN	Palliative Care Nurse
	•	Julie Hirsch, RN	Palliative Care Nurse
	•	Lori Mendez, RN	Palliative Care Nurse
	•	Susan E White, RN-BC, MSN	Palliative Care Manager
	•	Sherie Davis, LCSW	Palliative Care Social Worker
	•	Colleen Wong, MSW	Palliative Care Social Worker
	•	Valerie Moore, LCSW	Bereavement Coordinator

Pediatric Oncology Unit

In 1996, the first pediatric hematologist/oncologist in this area, Dr. Felicity Hodder, joined SBCH to head up a new program for children. With her arrival and the development of a multi-disciplinary oncology team at Cottage, children with cancer and blood disorders no longer need to leave the area for specialized care. In 2002, Dr. Daniel Greenfield was recruited to strengthen and expand the program.

In addition to offering consultation and treatment for infants, children, and adolescents, the program places special emphasis on educating and supporting these young patients and their families with their unique needs.

Dr. Greenfield came from the University of Missouri, where he was an assistant professor of pediatrics and deputy director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. He received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey followed by a residency in Pediatrics at Tufts University in Boston. He then did a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at The Children's Hospital in Denver and a post-doctoral fellowship in Bone Marrow Transplantation at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

SBCH is a member of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), which was formed by the merger of the four national pediatric cancer research organizations: the Children's Cancer Group, the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group, the National Wilms Tumor Study Group, and the Pediatric Oncology Group.

The primary objective of the organization is to conduct clinical trials of new therapies for childhood cancer. In 2008, 10 patients were enrolled in clinical trials through the Children's Oncology Group. The childhood cancer research and treatment centers of the COG are located at the most prestigious medical institutions in the world.

The 5,000 pediatric specialists of COG conduct collaborative research, working efficiently and cost-effectively as they share their goals and results. Because of these cooperative methods, children with cancer are assured of state-of-the-art care, no matter where they live, as long as they are cared for by members of the COG network.

At each member institution, patients with specific cancer diagnoses are treated exactly the same way, according to detailed protocols. The data about their treatment and their results are sent to a centralized statistics and data center for analysis and review. By pooling scientific ideas, research skills, and patient data, COG can obtain answers to important medical and scientific questions more rapidly than researchers working alone.

There are more than 240 Children's Oncology Group member-institutions in almost every state and province in North America and elsewhere in the world.

Public Education

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital offers individual and group cancer prevention education. The educational topics include, but are not limited to, cancers of the skin, breast, colon, and prostate, as well as smoking cessation programs. Members of the community also have access to the most recent cancer literature and clinical trials through a variety of computer resources available in Reeves Medical Library. The library provides multi-media computers so individuals can search for information on-line or access the entire library collection. Many books, magazines, and videos are also available in Reeves Library.

Pharmacy Services 

The Department of Pharmacy Services offers vital support to cancer patients. All chemotherapy agents for inpatients at Cottage are prepared in the pharmacy. This service facilitates the efficient administration of drugs and enhances the interaction between the other members of the healthcare team. Pharmacists also support chemotherapy protocols.

The pharmacy department at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital acquired a room-size, stationary robotic system that automatically fills drug prescriptions after verification by the pharmacist. Installed in November 2005, Robot-RX takes up approximately 144 square feet in the SBCH pharmacy department with 700 pegs holding up to 25,000 single doses. The hospital fills approximately one million prescriptions per year. Robot-RX is part of the hospital's strategy for ensuring medication accuracy and safety.

With the acquisition, SBCH is only one of approximately six hospitals in California-and one of only about 300 nationwide-to operate such an in-house system. The robot frees up pharmacists to spend more time advising physicians, staff, and employees about drug and drug interactions, reduces pharmacy costs through increased speed and efficiency, and reduces the risk of medication errors.

Rehabilitation Physical Therapy

Physical and occupational therapists and those trained in speech and communication therapy provide patients with rehabilitative support throughout their illness and recovery period. These therapists give special attention to patient balance and safety, teaching patients to conserve energy, helping patients improve their mobility and endurance, improving patient muscle weaknesses and loss of motion, and assisting patients who have swallowing dysfunction.

Nutrition Services

Nearly 80 percent of patients with cancer experience side effects of the disease and/or treatment that have an impact on their nutritional health. Poor nutrition impacts tolerance to therapy, healing, affects the immune system and decreases quality of life.

Registered Dietitians are trained to evaluate and work with patients suffering from side effects of treatment that interfere with eating such as loss of appetite, changes in smell and taste, difficulty chewing or swallowing and problems with digestion and bowel regulation. Dietitians are also involved in the provision of enteral and parenteral nutrition therapies when warranted. Registered dietitians evaluate diet history, weight changes, laboratory and physical parameters and past and present medical history to develop a comprehensive plan of care to improve or maintain nutritional status before, during and after therapy.

They also work closely with the entire care team to coordinate resources needed during and after treatment.

Department of Radiology 

The Department of Radiology is accredited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is staffed by 14 radiologists, 70 technologists, and 20 staff support personnel. The department is divided into General Diagnostic, Ultrasound, CT scan, Angiography, and MRI. SBCH is an ACR-accredited mammography site. The Department of Radiology performs approximately 100,000 exams per year, including 2,200 mammograms.

In addition to its daily activities, the Department of Radiology provides training for radiology residents. The department also provides vital services in ongoing medical education for physicians and provides weekly services for the Cancer Conference and the Surgical Grand Rounds.

Medical Social Services

Cancer has a tremendous impact on the entire family, and Cottage's clinical social workers provide patients and family members with emotional support, guidance, and understanding. Upon referral by the physician, nurse, patient, patient's family, or another member of the healthcare team, the social workers evaluate needs, support systems, understanding of diagnosis and treatments, and awareness of prognosis. They also counsel patients and family members on financial and insurance matters and develop plans for patients and loved ones to make the transition from the hospital as smooth as possible. Another important role of the clinical social worker is providing linkages with community agencies and support groups. The clinical social worker on the Oncology Unit plays an integral role in the care of cancer patients and their families at SBCH.