Since our founding over 70 years ago, Kaiser Permanente has pioneered an integrated care delivery system that includes our own specialists and multidisciplinary care teams that focus on prevention and providing high quality care and treatment. Nowhere is this more clearly an advantage than in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer.
Every day, a commitment is made to beating cancer and saving lives with earlier detection, cutting-edge research, and superior personal care, delivered with compassion.
It begins with a focus on prevention and that’s because lifestyle plays a major role in the prevention of cancer.
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“By following the best protocols and advocating regular screenings, we’re better able to prevent, detect, and treat cancers early and save lives,” says Ramin Davidoff, MD, assistant area medical director, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. “We take a multidisciplinary approach in which an entire team is involved in reviewing, assessing, and developing treatment options based on each unique case.”
Tom Bagwell, a patient of Dr. Davidoff, spent 17 years of his career at City of Hope and was convinced that if he ever had cancer that there was no other place that he would want to be treated. His experience at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center completely won him over and changed his mind forever.
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“If it was not for Kaiser Permanente encouraging early detection, I would not be here today,” he says.
When Tom became a member of Kaiser Permanente, he received messages to get a flu shot and to schedule a colonoscopy. He did both and upon the conclusion of his colonoscopy, he found out that he had a tumor and was scheduled for surgery within a week.
Tom recalls his experience, “On the morning of surgery, everyone was extremely supportive. The nursing staff always made sure I knew what they were doing, they were excellent at managing my pain, and got me on back the road to complete recovery. The surgeon stayed in touch with me while I was recuperating at home. From beginning to end, everyone made us feel safe and secure. There can be no better feeling when you are facing a serious issue such as a cancer diagnosis.”
When the tumor was detected in his colon, an opaque spot in his left kidney was also identified. Unfortunately, Tom needed to have another surgery. According to Tom, his first surgery gave him great confidence and relief about this second surgery.
“I am most fortunate that Kaiser Permanente has such great communication between departments and that this tumor was found so early. If it was not for Kaiser’s early detection practice and encouraging me as a new patient to get my colonoscopy, both tumors would have gone undetected until it was too late,” explains Tom. “I am fifty-nine years old and eternally grateful for their preventative medicine in delivering health care. I have a long life to live, thanks to Kaiser!”
“The key to effective screenings begins with a commitment to making them an important lifelong routine, because regular screenings can detect cancer early, leading to better outcomes,” adds Dr. Davidoff.
Prevention is about staying healthy and preventing or delaying disease. At Kaiser Permanente, we provide preventive care services to help members stay well. Follow up with your personal physician regarding screening guidelines and find out what’s right for you.
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 10.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information about Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, visit kp.org/baldwinpark and follow us on twitter: @KPBaldwinPark.