Page 6 - MidWeek Kauai - Nov 2, 2022

6 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 2, 2022
Standing in front of Dr. James T. Kakuda Cancer Center at Pali Momi Medical Center are (from left), Dr. Jeffrey Killeen, nurse navigator Noe McGuire, cancer survivor Celeste Sanchez, Dr. Christopher Tokin and Dr. Ian Okazaki.
Five years after
its opening, Dr. James T. Kakuda Cancer Center at Pali Momi Medical Center remains a standard for high-quality centralized care.
Named after a vision- ary physician whose dream became a re- ality, the Dr. James T. Kakuda Cancer Center at Pali Momi in ‘Aiea celebrated its fifth anni- versary on Oct. 30.
cancer center has established partnerships with Cancer Cen- ter of Hawai‘i and University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center. It is also a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s Network Program, which connects community-based physicians with the latest re- search and treatment options from world-renowned experts.
full-spectrum of services in a centralized location — freeing patients from the burden of traveling into town or off-is- land for care. The newest ad- dition to the center is a multi- disciplinary clinic that opened in March 2021 and has already welcomed more than 7,100 pa- tients.
cedures, a complete infusion suite, onsite pharmacy and lab services, a state-of-the-art con- ference center and a dedicated telehealth suite.
never be forgotten that the goal is to have the highest-quality, evidence-based care given. That comes with the people you bring in,” Killeen notes.
ferred by the patient.
“It’s also been shown to lead
Currently, it’s the only cen- ter in Central and West O‘ahu that is nationally accredited by the American College of Sur- geons Commission on Cancer.
Located on 24,000 square feet, Dr. James T. Kakuda Cancer Center provides a
A few physical features of the center include specially designed exam rooms for spe- cific types of cancer and pro-
Playing a leadership role on the care team is Dr. Jeffrey Killeen, a pathologist and med- ical director of the Hawai‘i Pa- cific Health oncology service line.
“It’s multidisciplinary and subspecialty focused, because you need to have a certain foot- print to do that. It’s patient-cen- tered, as opposed to the tradi- tional model where patients go from office to office to office, maybe across town,” he adds. “Instead, the doctors come to the patient. So, it’s much pre-
Radiation oncology therapy is provided through Cancer Center of Hawai‘i, which relo- cated its Leeward O‘ahu cam- pus — formerly sited in ‘Ewa Beach — to the Kakuda center in 2017 following its opening.
In addition, the Pali Momi
“While it’s certainly true and important that we have a beau- tiful center that’s pleasant to be in, that’s comfortable, it should
This partnership provides access to advanced care ser- vices for the residents of West
to better outcomes, because you can make decisions as a group.”
SEE PAGE 7
STORY BY PHOTO BY
Don Robbins Anthony Consillio