Delta, CO (April 8, 2019) – Delta Health’s (Delta Health) Integrative Oncologist, Dr. Goldberg, MD, was invited to be the opening speaker at the March 2nd Baptist Health Systems 2019 Cancer Update in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Goldberg was asked to speak about the Foundations in Integrative Oncology highlighting the work done at Grand Mesa Oncology at Delta Health. Her lecture focused on the key foundations that go into incorporating an integrative model with a traditional model. She stated, “It’s basic.”
Some of the “basic” concepts she shared are what have made Grand Mesa Oncology’s integrated approach a success as seen in the patient satisfaction and care. “I talked about our free massage program to patients and caregivers, yoga classes and acupuncture and the scientific backing of the positive impacts [of these modalities].” As she smiled she went on to say, “It is amazing to see a local farmer who has never gotten a massage in his life receive one for the first time and enjoy it. Ultimately it helps him and his caregivers cope and relax.” Dr. Goldberg did not want to leave San Antonio without getting across the most critical message that the most important aspect of a successful clinic is “to spend enough time with the patient. It is really that simple.”
Dr. Goldberg also talked about the success of Grand Mesa Oncology by focusing on the importance of staffing, “a clinic needs adequate staffing so the patients’ needs are met quickly. Grand Mesa Oncology staff’s with the patient’s needs in mind with a robust nursing, front office, volunteers and oncology nurse navigator’s staff.
“A lot of questions and concerns were based around finances and reimbursement,” to which there is not on a lot of with these integrative modalities. “It is not about direct reimbursement, but about investment into patient satisfaction and the community. Our community is economically challenged but our patients still deserve to receive top notch personalized care. [Grand Mesa Oncology] is a personalized patient clinic,” said Dr. Goldberg. Many larger clinics do not offer even the privacy of individual treatment rooms, but instead are “all lined up in one big room.”
Nutrition was another topic Dr. Goldberg touched on in her presentation. “You can’t change people’s diets…you have to encourage people from the culture they are from.” There are people that cannot or will not eat all organic or change what kind of foods they eat. Dr. Goldberg encourages her patients on smaller more adoptable changes and to “use the best of the [local] talents and choosing food grown locally when possible.”
“We are always proud when one of our providers is asked to speak on a larger platform about the expertise they offer our community. I think it just shows the caliber of providers and care here at Delta Health,” states Jason Cleckler, CEO at Delta Health. “Dr. Goldberg brings a unique and needed aspect of integrative medicine that we hope is just the beginning.”
