But this hasn't been easy. Riverview also has free transportation, but patients must call 72 hours in advance. When Steen called twice for a ride last month, she was told that the van was full. According to Riverview spokesperson Leslie Rochelle, since Mercy's closing requests for transportation have increased substantially. Like family' Before Vaughn set up the oncology clinic in the poor Detroit community, advanced cancer care and cutting-edge treatment there was nonexistent.
Cancer rates run high in poor communities because of living conditions and lifestyles.
Vaughn had intended to extend the clinic services with antismoking programs and other cancer prevention efforts. Though the clinic closing cut short those plans, Vaughn notes what he did accomplish, including trusting relationships with his patients. Lillian Conway, who was treated for two years at the clinic for a blood disorder, was part of that family. When the clinic closed, she went to Riverview hospital. She says that she misses the special attention the cancer clinic staff gave her.