Community Health preparing to launch new cancer treatments
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INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis-based Community Health Network says it is taking a giant step forward in cancer care, thanks to a partnership launched last year with Houston-based MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The health system is rolling out two new cancer treatments—stem cell transplant and cellular therapy—which could be life saving for patients with cancers of the blood such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
“We are leveraging [MD Anderson’s] expertise to set up a program here in Indianapolis, so people can have access to these life saving treatments close to home, while maintaining continuity of care with their caregivers throughout the entire cancer treatment journey,” said Community Health Senior Vice President of Oncology Services Richard Funnell.
Stem cell transplants, also known as bone marrow transplants, involve replacing unhealthy bone marrow with health stem cells, which Community says can then develop into healthy marrow.
“The importance of that is when you reintroduce the cells, whether they’re yours or a donor’s cells, they go into the bone marrow and start reproducing an immune system for the patient, which is a cancer-free immune system,” Funnell said. “And this is what attacks the cancer and allows us to provide this life-saving treatment.”
Cellular therapy, Funnell said, is a somewhat similar process, except the patient’s own stem cells are taken and sent to a lab to be genetically modified to target the proteins of cancer cells when they’re reintroduced into the patient’s system.
Funnell said bringing on the new therapies is the “largest, most important new modality of care for cancer patients” at Community Health.
Two other health systems in central Indiana already have transplant centers, so Community would refer out 80 to 100 patients each year. Now, those patients will be able to stay in-house.
The treatments will first be launched at Community Howard Regional Health in Kokomo beginning next year. Funnell lauded the hospital’s inpatient facilities.
“We’re going to be renovating a room right next to their ICU that will allow us to provide transplant services,” he said. “In addition to this, it’s our northernmost facility, so we feel that we can provide care to patients in northern Indiana so they don’t have to either drive to downtown Indianapolis or to Chicago or another facility out of state.”
The health system plans to expand the treatments to Community Hospital North in Indianapolis in 2026.
“We feel it’s really important from a continuity of care perspective to keep those patients in house, seeing their physicians and transferring to a Community MD Anderson Cancer Center team to manage their transplant or cellular therapy,” Funnell said. This actually creates that continuity, creates greater ease for the patient because they’re maintaining their relationship with their caregivers.”
And Community Health is adding jobs in addition to the treatments. Funnell said the health system has hired an internationally renowned physician to lead the program, as well as a vice president for stem cell transplant and cellular therapy.
He noted that a “significant number” of new staff will be hired, with about 90 full-time employees being added over a 10-year period.
“Our core team is going to be made up of inpatient and outpatient nurses, who are oncology certified,” he said. “Then, we’ll be also investing into our nurse navigation program. We currently have 37 nurse navigators, but we’ll bring in several navigators who provide education and continuity of care throughout the treatment process, who are going to be devoted for a transplant program.”
Funnell said Community expects to perform about 200 transplants year-over-year.