Mercy Health, Ohio State University to expand cancer services at Shadden Road office

ELYRIA — Mercy Health Lorain's oncology services are set to expand under a new partnership with Ohio State University. The alliance will connect OSU's collegiate services, including cutting edge treatments or medical trials, to Lorain County patients at Mercy Health's cancer center off Schadden Road in Elyria. The change, officially rolling out June 1, comes after a split with University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, which is moving out of the Schadden Road offices it held with Mercy and into a new oncology suit it is building in Avon at state Route 83 and Detroit Road. While oncology patients already seeing Mercy Health physicians at the Schadden Road office won't see a real change, the new affiliation with Ohio State University's James Comprehensive Cancer Center will give patients in need of minute specializations or advanced therapies another option, said Dr. Jeffrey VanDeusen, medical oncologist and James Cancer Network medical director. "This affiliation is just going to help enhance the care that's already there ingrained and really helps the patients get care that's close to home but coordinated with a major academic center — it's really a win for both of us," he said. Mercy Health's Ben Kosewski, director of its oncology service line, agreed. "We really have a strong program," he said. "Something to be very proud of for our community, the folks in Elyria, Lorain, Lorain County and Erie County, Huron County can feel really rest assured that the program that is here can take very good care of them. But all that's going to be enhanced through this affiliation." While patients in need of some specialized services may have to make the trip to Columbus for surgery or other services, initial consultations will be able to be done virtually at the Schadden Road office, helping mitigate some transportation issues, Kosewski said. The Schadden Road cancer center is coupled with an established partnership between OSU's Wexner Medical Center and Mercy Health/Bon Secours. The healthy State Alliance, started in 2018, looks to tackle the opioid epidemic, along with transplant and cancer care. "The work that we're doing with Lorain and also Lima (at St. Rita's Medical Center) ... we're partnering with the cancer program there to help augment the already great services that are there and really help offer research and cutting edge treatments if needed and help make that care seamless for the patients," VanDeusen said. Mercy Health initially announced the cancer center partnership in December. Community Health Partners of Ohio, a previous name for Mercy Health, owns the Schadden Road facility, and Kosewski noted they have no plans to leave the space behind. There is also no anticipated impact on staffing with the new affiliate, he said. "This affiliation might change some of the logos and things on our walls, but realistically this team's here," Kosewski said. "We're here to take care of our patients and the building's not moving and we're not moving out of our building. ... The commitment is to be here to be taking care of our patients and those that need cancer care and we want to continue to bring such a high level of care here for them." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.