Biden came to mark the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, the landmark legislation that transformed health coverage in the United States while also providing funds for advancements in medical technology, some of which are now in use at the OSUCCC – James, one of the nation’s leading comprehensive cancer centers.
The president was joined during his visit by James doctors, including Arnab Chakravarti, MD, FASTRO, FACRO, chair and professor of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Ohio State, who shared details about the impact of the ACA support on patients in central Ohio.
“I just concluded a tour of the radiation oncology department here, which was expanded thanks to a $100 million grant in the Affordable Care Act,” Biden said after speaking with Chakravarti and other Ohio State doctors. “Because of our investments, this department has gone from being able to treat 60 to 70 patients a day to nearly 300 a day. This place is a source of hope.”
That hope is evident on The James’ radiation oncology floor, where specialists work with patients representing nearly every cancer type.
“The ACA grant award expanded access to care — including historically underserved patient populations — and patient volumes at The James,” Chakravarti says. “It also led to the development of sentinel radiation oncology technologies at Ohio State that have already dramatically improved the safety and quality of care for our patients, and which also hold the potential to transform the future of cancer care, especially with the advent of proton therapy and FLASH (a highly targeted proton therapy scheduled to begin use at Ohio State in 2023).”
“We were excited to welcome President Biden to The James, and to discuss our shared vision for a cancer-free world,” says James CEO William B. Farrar, MD. “The president has long been a passionate advocate for cancer research, and we look forward to working with his administration to break new ground in cancer care and research right here at Ohio State.”