The Cancer Support group, which meets monthly at the Chinook Senior Center, hosted Joe LoDuca as the featured speaker in March. LoDuca is the Chief Administrative Officer for Benefis Health System's Cancer and Heart & Vascular Institutes. He started with Benefis in 2004 when the building that now houses the Sletten Cancer Institute was first under construction. He now is responsible for the cancer, and heart and vascular services of the Benefis system.

In his remarks LoDuca said he saw the Sletten Institute develop from a 'hole in the ground,' during initial construction when he first arrived from San Diego, to a state-of-the art cancer facility with excellent medical providers, staff, and the latest treatment options available to cancer patients. He added, "Our goal has always been to keep our patients close to home while receiving excellent care. When I first came to Montana many patients diagnosed with cancer had to leave the state to receive the treatment they needed. That's no longer the case, the state-of-the art treatments are available right here in Montana."

LoDuca also has responsibilities for the Northern Montana Sletten Cancer Center in Havre. That center is a joint venture with Northern Montana Health Care and was reopened about two years ago. He explained, "Having the Northern Montana Sletten Cancer Center on the Hi-Line gives cancer patients, wherever they received their diagnosis, a choice to be treated close to home."

The cancer center in Havre is a bit unique compared to other healthcare facilities Benefis collaborates with around Montana. He explained, "In Havre we have a building and that allows us to provide a broader range of services, including chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The Hi-Line is fortunate to have those services in one facility and it's the partnership with Northern Montana Health Care that makes it possible." He added that daily about four to eight patients receive radiation treatment and six to eight are treated via chemotherapy. The Havre center has a full-time oncology doctor on staff. Most off-site centers do not have a full-time oncologist available.

A major equipment addition to the Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute in Great Falls is a permanent PET/CT scanner. LoDuca said until recently this advanced diagnostic technology was shared among hospitals with scanners in mobile units. He said, "We were committed to having a permanent scanner and that is completed." Describing this advanced diagnostic tool, LoDuca explained, "The 'PET' part of the scanner detects abnormal cell activity in a patient's body. The 'CT' part gives a location of the abnormality. Using the permanent PET/CT scanner a diagnosis can be conducted more efficiently and quickly and is very precise."

LoDuca said despite the many advances he's seen in medical technology, one very important development is the increased emphasis on wellness and prevention. He explained, "Patients are taking more initiatives to have potential problems checked before they become serious issues. That's a very good thing." He urged the audience to follow through with a medical professional if they detect a change in their health status. LoDuca said, "We are the best judges of when our body is telling us there is a possible problem. Get those changes checked to identify potential major health issues."