New Consortium Brings Care to Pediatric Cancer Patients throughout the Region

Health organizations join forces to support the only locally operated pediatric cancer care practice serving children and families of Northern Nevada.

Gaining access to pediatric cancer care just got easier for children and their families in our region. A new collaborative, Sierra Pediatric Blood and Cancer Consortium, is bringing full-time hemotology-oncology pediatric care to the community’s doorstep. Through this collaboration, local and rural pediatric patients benefit from services in Reno and Carson City, allowing them to receive care in their community when they need it. Prior to the partnership, treating physicians were only available in Reno on a part-time basis or required families to travel to Las Vegas, California or Utah for care.

This unique opportunity brought five major organizations together in collaboration, for the first time, to address the critical gap in pediatric cancer services in Northern Nevada. Access to Healthcare Network, Carson Tahoe Health, Renown Health, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, and Washoe County Adult Services make up the Sierra Pediatric Blood and Cancer Consortium, with Access to Healthcare Network facilitating the program.

“This Consortium is the first of its kind in the area, providing an innovative new model of care,” said Sherri Rice, CEO of Access to Healthcare Network. “In the past, the size of our community has made it difficult for individual organizations to offer a full-time pediatric hematologist/oncologist. By coming together, these five organizations are offering the resources, staffing and facilities to sustain ongoing services in our area. Additionally, through affiliation with USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Hematology/Oncology division, patients will also have coordinated access to clinical trials and specialized treatments.”

The main practice is now open and serving patients in Reno. Additionally, recognizing that 20 percent of Northern Nevada’s pediatric oncology patients come from the greater Carson City service area, Carson Tahoe Health will soon be hosting monthly satellite clinics in Carson City to enhance access for local and rural families.

“Realizing a gap in services for children with cancer in our region, we embraced the opportunity to join forces with other health organizations to help these families stay local for care,” said Ed Epperson, CEO of Carson Tahoe Health. “We feel very fortunate to be a contributor to this critical initiative, and to offer expanded access to local and rural families alike.”

All members of the Consortium emphasize that the unique community collaboration will improve patient outcomes, offer medical expertise and specialized care 24/7 and ensure the highest-quality services are available locally.

The Reno practice is located at 75 Pringle Way, Suite 505, on the Renown Regional Medical Center campus in the Center for Advance Medicine C. The phone number is (775) 284-1913.

The Consortium is an independent 501(c)(3) corporation developed and operated locally by Access to Healthcare Network, Carson Tahoe Health, Renown Health, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, and Washoe County Adult Services.