Newly Expanded Services Now Offered at North Kansas City Hospital's Cancer Center

There’s a new era for cancer services in the Northland as North Kansas City Hospital launches an independent cancer care program with a range of services for diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and patient support, all close to home.

New Physician Providers

Three new physician providers lead the program and bring an extensive background in oncology care: hematologists and medical oncologists Benjamin Fangman, MD, and Jaswinder Singh, MD, and John Park, MD, radiation oncologist.

Nearly 100 additional staff members join these providers, including advanced practice providers, nurses, navigators, pharmacists, radiology technicians and radiation staff, social workers, dietitians, financial counselors and rehabilitation therapists.

Comprehensive Services

Inpatient and outpatient services form the foundation for the cancer program. Inpatient services include diagnostics, surgical intervention, chemotherapy, management of cancer-associated issues, desensitization for reactions and high-risk medications, immunotherapy toxicity management, antibiotic therapy, hemodialysis, plasmapheresis (removing blood plasma by drawing blood) and palliative care.

Outpatient services range from chemotherapy, immunotherapy, genetic testing and counseling to blood and platelet transfusions, iron therapy, supportive medicines, hydration and treatment for nausea and vomiting.

Supporting inpatient and outpatient services are a host of individuals and departments that focus on whole-person care along with treating the disease.

Nurse Navigators
Nurse navigators are the link between the patient and medical staff and connect the patient to financial and emotional services along with social services.

Laboratory
Many types of cancer are diagnosed in the lab under a microscope.

Nutrition
Cancer treatment can cause side effects, so the hospital offers nutrition counseling with registered dietitians.

Pharmacy
Pharmacists use their expertise for drug therapy regimen reviews, medication therapy monitoring, patient education, prior authorization assistance and insurance appeal assistance.

Physical and Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology
These professionals provide support for cancer-related fatigue, cardio-oncology rehab, cognitive and memory repair strategies, daily life activity retraining, dysphagia evaluations, lymphedema therapy and more. 

Support Services
There’s a team of individuals to assist with nonmedical issues that come with a cancer diagnosis, including social services, financial counseling, transportation assistance, temporary housing assistance and survivorship. 

Community Health and Wellness
This team helps patients through the cancer journey with education, support groups and other opportunities to heal the mind and spirit.

Keep up with the latest developments about our oncology services at nkch.org/Cancer.

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Kim Shopper

Kim has worked at NKCH for nearly 40 years where she produces the employee newsletter and manages internal campaigns. She is a board member for the Kansas City Health Communicators, and she is passionate about animal rescue and volunteers for the Parkville Animal Shelter.