New Cancer Patient Resource Center Opens

Santa Rosa Golf &Country Club Donates $29,000 At Unveiling

Santa Rosa , CA – March 5, 2007 . With help from the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club (SRGCC), the North Bay Cancer Alliance opened the doors to a new community-based Cancer Patient Resource Center at the Redwood Regional Medical Group. Today’s opening was dedicated to Michelle Van Dyke, a club member who passed away from breast cancer on February 27th.

“We are so blessed by the generosity of the club membership and so saddened by the loss of Michelle, that it is hard to express our feelings today,” said Dr. Helen Collins, President of the Practice and member of the Breast Care Program team. “This space was created for people like Michelle and her family to help them find the information and support they need to battle cancer.”

“Cancer has touched many of our lives on very personal levels and the work being done by North Bay Cancer Alliance is wonderful,” said Noel Hanson, Chairwomen for the club’s, “It Feels Good to Give” fund raising committee. “We have lost a dear friend and fellow club member, Michelle, and we are honored and touched by this gesture.”

Located at Redwood Regional Medical Group’s Sotoyome Campus, (across the street from Memorial Hospital) the Cancer Patient Resource Center serves all residents of Sonoma County. The Center provides printed information and computer access to on-line information to help cancer patients and their families navigate the vast amounts of content regarding diagnosis, treatment and care.

The space for the Patient Resource Center was donated by the practice’s physicians as part of a large-scale renovation to the cancer center building. Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club has donated more than $65,000 to the Cancer Alliance since 2004 through the Club’s annual charity event, “It Feels Good To Give.” This year, the event raised over $29,000 which was used to develop the Patient Resource Center and purchase computers, tables, chairs and cabinets for storage.

As part of the project, a specially created website – “The Patient Resource Center On-line”, www.rrmginc.com/prc-intranet - was designed to lead patients to physician approved websites that contain specific information on 25 different cancer types including breast cancer.

“The internet has vast amounts of information available about cancer, and that can be overwhelming to patients,” said Dr. Collins. “This new website and these new computers are really helpful for patients to find the proper information they want quickly and easily.”

“I had the good fortune to tour the facility and it is a wonderful resource for our community,” added Ms. Hanson. “We have a new committee working already on the 2007 "It Feels Good to Give" fund raiser and we hope to donate in similar fashion this next year.”

The Patient Resource Center is located on the second floor of the Redwood Regional Medical Group Cancer Center at 121 Sotoyome Street in Santa Rosa. The center is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact:

Kjell Kallman
Director of Marketing & Communications
North Bay Cancer Alliance
(707) 525-4069
kkallman@rrmginc.com