Diablo Valley Oncology and Hematology Medical Group celebrates first year anniversary of the opening of the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill. It is the largest nonhospital, freestanding community based cancer treatment facility in Contra Costa County and provides what every cancer patient wants and deserves ... the very best in leading edge cancer treatment with services all in one convenient location.
We made it our priority to establish the first and finest comprehensive cancer center in the East Bay, says Dr. Matthew Sirott, President and CEO of Diablo Valley Oncology and Hematology Medical Group. There are six medical oncologists and one radiation oncologist in the group and they each focus on one or more specific tumor types and blood disorders. This specialization gives patients an extra level of comfort and confidence knowing they are being cared for by the very best, most knowledgeable practitioners in the field.
California Cancer and Research Institute is a three story building located in a peaceful, park like setting at 400 Taylor Blvd in Pleasant Hill. The facility opened in 2008 and is a contemporary and serene space where patients come for medical oncology appointments, radiation, chemotherapy treatments, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials and supportive services.
Gathering state of the art equipment, electronic medical records, and multiple specialties under one roof provides for better coordination of patient care. It allows an ease and convenience for patients that couldn’t be done before, Dr. Sirott says. If I see a patient, order a PET CT, and decide this person needs to see a radiation oncologist, they can do so on the very same day. The radiation oncologist can evaluate the patient and if necessary, he can treat the patient that day. Because we have these services and physicians working together at the same location, communication and coordination of patient treatment is more efficient and much better. Even the academic centers, which do have all of these pieces, are harder to utilize. That’s the benefit of a community setting you don t have to travel far to receive academic level medicine with cutting edge services where you can navigate through the system faster and easier.
Many patients today get radiation therapy and chemotherapy at the same time, so it s great for them to come to our center for both services and not have to do so much running around, says Dr. Kamath. The thing I hear often from patients is, You ve made this so much easier for me. I can see all my doctors and get my treatment in one location, and I know you are talking to each other about my medical care. It s like coming to a mini medical center.
When someone is first told that they have cancer, they are shocked, they’re scared, and of course they want to get the best treatment they possibly can, says Dr. Kamath. I think this facility is very unique in that we don t just treat cancer, we treat people with cancer. We use the most advanced, proven technologies to deliver the same level of care as a Stanford or a UCSF, and we do it in a very personalized way, he adds. We take care of each of our patients as if they were a close family member; they become part of our DVO family.
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Dr. Sirott has been in private practice in Walnut Creek since 1992. He founded Diablo Valley Oncology / Hematology Medical Group and continues to serve as the President and CEO. http://www.diablovalleyoncology.md/