Seventh St. Jude affiliate clinic comes to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Novant Health and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announced Charlotte, North Carolina, as the location of the seventh St. Jude affiliate in the country, named the St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital.

Formerly known as Novant Health Blume Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, the St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital physicians and staff will work in close collaboration with their peers at St. Jude to bring life-saving treatment protocols to children with cancer living in Charlotte and across the southeastern U.S.

Located in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.

"This affiliation will bring the unparalleled research and expertise of St. Jude to Novant Health and provide the highest-quality pediatric cancer care across the Carolinas and beyond," said Andy Mueller, MD, president of Novant Health greater Charlotte market. "Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital pediatric hematologists and oncologists will collaborate with physicians and specialists at St. Jude to give our patients the benefit of years of cancer research and advancements."

Affiliating with St. Jude will give Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital patients access to more clinical trials than are available at any other facility in the Southeast. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child treated by St. Jude and its affiliates contributes to the knowledge doctors and scientists worldwide use to save thousands more children.

"We are delighted to welcome the St. Jude Affiliate at Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital as a new affiliate in the Charlotte region," said Larry Kun, MD, clinical director and executive vice president at St. Jude. "This affiliation between St. Jude in Memphis and Novant Health in Charlotte really provides some of the most advanced and academically exciting opportunities for patient care for kids both with cancer and with non-malignant hematologic diseases."

Novant Health Blume Pediatric Hematology & Oncology has offered comprehensive cancer care to children and young adults in the Charlotte area since 2001. It is named in memory of Sherri Blume, who succumbed to a brain tumor in 1967. Its 1,500 patients travel up to two hours to receive coordinated care from a dedicated staff of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and child life specialists.

"By joining forces with St. Jude, Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital can continue to improve accessibility for our patients, provide enhanced care coordination and allow us to truly take pediatric cancer treatment in this region to a new level," Mueller said.

About Novant Health
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. Novant Health consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 26,000 employees who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 14 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for patients and communities, serving more than four million patients annually. In 2014, Novant Health provided more than $639 million in community benefit including charity care and services. Novant Health is an IMS Health top 20 integrated delivery network in the nation.

For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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SOURCE Novant Health

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