The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 58 COVID patients today, down from 60 yesterday. Other significant numbers:

• 12 with the active virus today, 11 yesterday
• 1 in ICU, 0 yesterday.
• 0 on ventilator, 0 yesterday
• 46 hospitalized but out of acute infection phase, 49 yesterday

Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Ronald Chen, chair of Radiation Oncology

• Unveiling of sign on Proton Beam Center symbolizes beginning of a lot of hope for cancer patients in the region. First patients planned for May 23.
• Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy used to cure many types of cancer, including prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancer
• The targeted beam can stop at a tumor and not go beyond, sparing healthy tissue from effects of radiation
• Will work with insurance companies to make sure treatment is covered

Dr. Ronny Rotondo, medical director of Proton Therapy

• This will be the 39th proton center in the country
• First of its kind in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Arkansas
• Having proton center has allowed the KU Cancer Center to attract an incredibly talented team of specialists from around the country
• Don’t need to be a health system patient and referrals from other institutions are welcome

Sara Soliman, nurse navigator

• All patients will work with a disease-specific nurse navigator such as herself who will guide them through the entire process.
• Will help with authorizations and getting set up with the right providers for their particular type of cancer

Roma Volkov, 11 years old

• Diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma of the abdomen when he was three
• Had to travel with mother to MD Anderson in Houston to receive Proton Therapy
• Says the treatment itself was very easy, and didn’t hurt
• Tells other kids who need it they don’t have to be scared

Karen Larson, Roma’s mother

• Was very difficult and expensive to relocate from Kansas to Texas for the three week duration of Roma’s treatment
• Is grateful and excited other families in the region won’t have to go through the ordeal of traveling for treatment as they did
• Of all the intense cancer treatments her son received, Proton Beam was easiest and felt like taking a vacation from other cancer treatments. No side effects.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control

• Both Kansas and Missouri have officially designated COVID as endemic vs. a pandemic
• Basically means we know COVID is with us and will be dealt with on a long-term basis
• Even though the virus is still circulating in our population, it helps keep the economy going and kids in school.

Monday, April 4 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. You may have heard of bariatric surgery. It can be a life-saving procedure for many extremely overweight people. But there’s a lot more to it that you see on TV reality shows. You’ll meet three family members who all underwent this procedure and see how they did. They’ll share what it was really like.

ATTENTION: media procedure for joining:

Zoom link: https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628

Telephone Zoom link: 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628

TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI

Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital

YouTube.com/kuhospital

Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.