A Symphony of Support: Asian Hospital’s Asian Cancer Institute celebrates 9th Anniversary
Asian Hospital and Medical Center’s (AHMC) Asian Cancer Institute (ACI) celebrated its 9th anniversary last July with a month-long lineup of activities starting with the event titled “Symphony of Support: Harmonizing Care for Cancer and Chronic Illness”.
The event aimed to highlight the importance of supportive care in the healing process and to celebrate the resilience of those affected by cancer.
Among the activities they organized include a film showing of the Filipino Netflix movie, “A Journey,” starring Kaye Abad, Patrick Garcia, and Paolo Contis which follows a cancer patient’s fulfillment of her bucket list.
The talk”Brave Conversations: Dementia Dialogues and Advance Care Planning” delved deep into crucial topics such as dementia and how to manage it with empathy and understanding while exploring the importance of advance care planning. “Usapang SIS” was also launched as a monthly lay webinar on Supportive Care Services. Free Acupuncture treatments were offered to 50 participants, to promote holistic wellness as a support for the community.
The anniversary celebration included a webinar on“Distress as the 6th Vital Sign,” highlighting the importanceof “Identifying, Assessing, and Managing Distress in Chronic Illness,” as well as a scientific forum that served as an MDT Case Conference titled “Synchronizing Our Song”. The event successfully congregated leading health care providers to discuss complex cancer cases, exchange insights, and explore innovative treatment strategies. An exhibition on Supportive Care, titled “Harmony Hallways” was likewise mounted at the hospital’s ACI Lobby.
The Cancer Institute’s anniversary celebration was capped with a Wine and Cheese Thanksgiving Fellowship named “Cheers to the Symphony”.
Dr. Rumalie Corvera, Head of Supportive and Integrative Services of the Asian Cancer Institute, said the celebration is meant to “highlight supportive, integrative, palliative and hospice care throughout the journey of any cancer patient and their family. This is usually the underutilized and under-referred service because everyone is searching for a cure. But equally important is supportive care which focuses on the patient’s continuity of care from hospital to home and back.”
The celebration underscored the Institute’s commitment to provide comprehensive and integrative care for patients battling cancer and chronic illness. Asian Hospital’s President and CEO Dr. Beaver R.Tamesis shared that since the establishment of the Asian Cancer Institute, it has become a Center of Excellence that is able to deliver the best possible care be it surgical, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, for all its cancer patients. “Along the road, there was a need for a more holistic approach so now we included integrative services, home care, counseling, and family support. The Asian Cancer Institute can bring all these aspects together for our patients.”