When Marci Bogenrife went to her community hospital in the small city of London, Ohio, with severe abdominal pain, she learned she had about two hours to decide on a lifesaving procedure. Doctors at Madison Health, an affiliate of The James Cancer Network (JCN), told her she needed to go to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). “That’s when I knew something bad had happened,” she recalls. The JCN is a group of health care providers in communities around Ohio that work together to help patients across the state receive cancer care closer to their homes while also having access to specialists at The James, which is located on Ohio State’s main campus in Columbus, the state capital. “She was transported to The James, where she underwent emergency surgery for what was thought to be a perforated (pierced) colon,” says Madison Health clinical nurse practitioner Joel Rice. More about The James at Ohio State: creating a cancer-free world through care and research innovation. At The James, Bogenrife also was diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer and met Lisa Cunningham, MD, associate professor in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at Ohio State and a colorectal cancer surgeon at The James. “They asked me to come in and help with Marci’s (emergency) procedure, and I did, and then I got to meet her the following day,” Cunningham says. “I got to walk into her room and say, ‘You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are, and this is how we’re going to work together to fight this.’” The James Colorectal Cancer Center: an easier path to treatment access. In partnership with the JCN, Bogenrife began a chemotherapy regimen at Madison Health. “For patients who have to undergo extensive chemotherapy regimens for cancers as advanced as Marci’s was, it can be very hard for them to travel here to get care at The James,” Cunningham says. But through the JCN, patients can often receive treatment at their local facilities – much closer to their homes and support systems, which is particularly beneficial when chemotherapy makes them feel bad. “In their time of need, just having someone listen makes a big difference for patients,” Rice says. “Oftentimes we can get what we need from patient visits fairly quickly from a medical standpoint, but the time that patients need for those visits is much longer. “Sitting and listening and talking with patients is an amazing part of what we do,” he adds. “Being a small community provider allows us to spend time with them that maybe we wouldn’t have in other places.” “I think it’s miraculous how well Marci’s doing now,” Cunningham says, reflecting on how the powerful JCN collaboration made a lifesaving difference. “She’s back to doing wonderful community outreach. I think it’s a testament to her grit, but also to the care we’ve all provided that got her to where she is today.” The James Cancer Network: comprehensive cancer care in collaboration with local community providers.