Category: News

Help support the StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic for childhood cancer survivors by attending our annual Mad Hatter Tea Party!

This year the event is being held in a brand new location at The Mercer Las Vegas at the corner of Tropicana and Grand Canyon Drive.

Thanks to KTNV’s Jackie Kostek for helping us get the word out!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quc-kbUCN7Y

World-renowned illusionist Criss Angel has been a long-time advocate and financial supporter of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. For that reason, we wanted to honor him with a Criss Angel-inspired patient exam room in our clinic!  Thanks again to Las Vegas-based artist Juan Muniz for his wonderful illustrations to make the exam room extra special for our patients.

Learn more:

Vegas News

Las Vegas Sun 

At Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, Patient Experience is something that we take very seriously. Although Patient Experience seems like a very broad term, it can be defined quite precisely.  Patient Experience encompasses the wide range of experiences and interactions that take place in one’s journey. This starts when the patient walks into our building and continues through the duration of their care.

Understanding Patient Experience is a key step in moving toward patient centered care and maintaining our esteemed Center of Excellence reputation. We have a program at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation that assesses to what extent patients are receiving care that is respectful, responsive, and transparent. This care is based on the individual patient’s preference, needs, and values. Sometimes it may be a hard pill to swallow, sometimes it may be something else. But Patient Experience isn’t the same as Patient Satisfaction and we have a ways we monitor both. The most important one is the Patient Experience Survey. We moved away from the norm of Patient Satisfaction Surveys, as we don’t think the questions we were asking were fair. With the Patient Experience Survey, we were able to ask meaningful questions such as caring, communication, and expectations. Surveys tell us if the patient had the proper communication with providers, nurses, and clinic staff.

A big part of our Patient Experience program is our new and improved No More Chemo Parties. The No More Chemo Party is the cherry on top for most patients. This is the time when we celebrate a patient’s bravery and honor their fight! No More Chemo Parties mark the end of treatment for a patient — and it’s first day of the rest of their life!  It’s a celebration everyone at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation wants to be a part of.  We surprise the patients with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, presents, singing, and much more. We even live stream the event on Facebook so the rest of the world can celebrate with us. “To see these kiddos cancer free and ready to take on the world it’s what gives me the strength to continue doing this amazing job”, said Katherine Salkanovic, C4K’s Patient Experience Manager.

Patient Experience is everything we say and do that has an impact in a patient’s life. Patient Experience is understanding that everyone who walks through our door has a story, and while we don’t know the story, we know that they are here expecting our help. Patient Experience is important to Katherine, because of her own personal Patient Experience, simple as that. Her father  was diagnosed with cancer when she was 19 years old, and sadly, the family had a horrible experience. Since then, her life’s mission has been to change Patient Experience, and how care is delivered to their patient population. Furthermore, it is important to us because it is the foundation of who we are as a clinic. We were built on a patient experience.

Annette Logan-Parker, CEO of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, saw a need that was not being met and took matters into her own hands, forming the organization from the ground-up.  Cure 4 The Kids is unique in every way imaginable as far as Patient Experience is concerned. “To start, we treat the patient, not just the disease. Every patient is important and we go above and beyond for each and every one of them,” says Katherine.  “We are known for never denying services based on a family’s inability to pay.  To us, that speaks volumes, we are here to saves lives, no matter the cost.”

Katherine is a Certified Patient Experience Professional or CPXP. There are only 2 in Nevada, and 542 across the world.  “It’s truly a life changing certification. I relied on my 14-years of experience to pass it. It was hard, but it was worth it.  Patient Experience is what drives me to be the best at what I do.  In what other job do you get to change the world every day?  In my position, and as a CPXP, I get to use my knowledge and experience as a leader and influence systems, processes, and behaviors that cultivate consistently positive experiences. I am bringing value and dedication to my work to ensure the best experience for all of those we work with, care for and serve in healthcare every day.”

We believe we can’t have Patient Experience without Employee Engagement. Some of the special touches that we have implemented are Superhero Visits, Arts and Crafts for patients, ‘Spa’ Days, the first-ever C4K Comic-Con, just to name a few. Additionally,  the majority of the events are free for patients and their siblings due to generous sponsors and we now have a special relationship with Chance from the Vegas Golden Knights! “These events are catered for patients and employees alike, we want to create an environment filled with smiles and happiness. I encourage everyone to attend these events no matter how big or small you are,”  laughs Katherine. We strive to #CelebrateTheFight!

Cure 4 The Kids Foundation was recognized as one of the nation’s best nonprofit organizations to work for.  Our organization is listed as number 23 among the top 50 nonprofits recognized in the 2019 Best Nonprofits To Work For.

LAS VEGAS – April 3, 2019 – Cure 4 The Kids Foundation is proud to announce it has been selected as one of the nation’s best nonprofit organizations to work for, ranked at number 23 among the country’s top 50 nonprofit organizations, according to the 2019 Best Nonprofits To Work For, a nationwide survey conducted by the Best Companies Group.

The award is based on a number of factors including Cure 4 The Kids Foundation’s ability to create and maintain workplace excellence. In addition, a two-part survey collected general information about the organization, while employees took part in a 78-question survey — covering issues in eight categories — to gain confidential information about the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Like all organizations that were recognized among the Best Nonprofits to Work For, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation scored an average 90 percent positive survey responses. 

“This national recognition is extremely important to our organization, our employees, and to our patients,” said Annette Logan-Parker, CEO, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.  “It shows that Cure 4 The Kids Foundation is committed to providing an outstanding clinical experience, and is also interested in learning from an internal perspective where we can improve our operations.”

All of the 2019 Top 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For —including Cure 4 The Kids Foundation —scored at least 10 percentage points higher in positive employee responses in the following areas: Leadership and Planning, Culture and Communications, and Training, Development and Resources.

Cure 4 The Kids Foundation — a 501(c)(3) organization — was founded in 2007 and is Nevada’s only childhood cancer outpatient treatment center. Unlike most medical clinics, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation accepts patients with good insurance, bad insurance or no insurance — no child is turned away from treatment for financial reasons.  Fundraisers, grants, and donations help the foundation’s Charity Care Program provide treatment to those who could not otherwise afford it.

In addition to childhood cancer treatment, the clinic provides medical expertise and treatment to those affected by rare and ultra-rare diseases, sickle cell disease, bleeding and clotting disorders, genetic and rheumatologic conditions. Cure 4 The Kids Foundation also provides outpatient pediatric palliative care, neuropsychology services, child life specialist, and access to the StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic for childhood cancer survivors. 

In 2018, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation treated more than 4,000 patients, the majority of them for childhood cancer.

The Nonprofit Times