Stem cell transplant team members have big reasons to smile! Back row, from left: Carrie Matthews,
Makenzie Fryar, Ann Wilson, Calvinette Richardson-Moore, and Jon Herrington. Front row, from left:
Shelly Heideman, Paula Robinson, patient Kyle Jeter, Dr. Christian Cable, and Dr. Walter Linz.
Achieving FACT accreditation
The Foundation for the Accreditation of
Cellular Therapy (FACT), which awards the
accreditation, is located at the University of
Nebraska Medical Center. Ann Wilson, a Scott
& White senior processing technologist who
oversees the processing laboratory where the
rescued stem cells are processed and stored,
spearheaded the arduous application process,
which took several years.
The application culminated in an on-site
evaluation in the spring of 2014, and by summer
the Scott & White team learned that their
program was officially accredited. Dr. Cable
appreciated what the FACT inspectors said as
and include nausea, hair loss, and
other symptoms. Some of these days
were rough, Mr. Carver admits, but
the pain that had hindered him for
half a year was gone by the end of his
hospital stay. “When I got released
from the hospital, it seemed like every
week I felt better and better. I’m
ecstatic about the results,” he says.
Mr. Carver took his health problems
in stride, and even viewed the situation
with a bit of humor. After he lost
his hair because of the chemotherapy
treatment, he thought, “Well, I don’t
need a haircut, and I don’t have
to shave!”
they concluded their site visit. “They told us
at the end they thought we had a high-quality,
small program, and that was really our mantra
from the beginning,” he says.
The team’s initial goal was not only to provide
expertise in stem cell transplantation but
also to offer patients a personalized
experience, close to home, so they wouldn’t
have to travel to an urban center for care.
So far, patient feedback has made the effort
worthwhile. “Patients say they like the smaller
program; they like the personal treatment,”
Dr. Cable says. “They feel like people know
who they are.”
The transplant team is happy
to hear of patients with outcomes
like that of Mr. Carver, their 100th
patient! Six months after his procedure,
he was again enjoying his favorite
pastime, golf, playing 18 holes two or
three times a week. He and his wife,
Jacque, visited Colonial Williamsburg,
Virginia, this past fall and are planning
an Alaskan cruise in 2015. “I would do
it again [undergo the transplant] in a
heartbeat,” he says. “It has really been
helpful in my life.”
Mr. Carver enjoyed the personal
treatment he received from the
transplant team during his stay at
Scott & White. “The whole staff at
the hospital is the friendliest group I’ve
ever seen,” he says.
That kind of recognition from
patients means a lot to the transplant
team, consisting now of about 20
members, including physicians,
pharmacists, lab workers, social
workers, oncology nurses, and more.
A team approach has been important
to the program from its earliest days.
“We realized from the very beginning
it was going to take a very big team.
And we are proud to work together to
give our patients the best care,” says
Dr. Cable. n
sw.org | December 14 THE CATALYST
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