A Model for Rural Oncology

Small rural hospitals in the United States have had challenging issues developing sustainable oncology programs. This is a report on the development of a successful rural oncology program. In 2006, the Tahoe Forest Health System in Truckee, CA, a remote mountain resort town, started a cancer program that was focused on addressing patient and family fears that are common to all cancer patients but more frightening in the rural setting. Four years later, it is a thriving program with significant community support, a creative academic affiliation, and a central focus of the future of the hospital. The Tahoe Forest Cancer Center developed a sustainable model for high quality cancer care that overcomes geographic, cultural and financial barriers. This structure may serve as a model for national rural health care.