The Norma Schmoker Cancer Center in Fort Dodge just received a high honor.

The Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at UnityPoint Health.

“Earning the reaccreditation from the CoC is a testament to the excellent comprehensive care we provide at the Norma Schmoker Cancer Center,” said Leah Glasgo, CEO and president of UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge. “Our team offers a wide variety of cancer treatment options available, along with education and support for patients and their families. The best part is patients can receive their cancer care and support services right here in Fort Dodge.”

Because it is a CoC-accredited cancer center, UnityPoint Health-Norma Schmoker Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists.

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.

The CoC Accreditation Program provides the framework for UnityPoint Health -Norma Schmoker Cancer Center to improve its quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease, and end-of-life care.

When patients receive care at a CoC facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psycho-social support, a patient navigation process, and a survivorship care plan that documents the care each patient receives and seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

Like all CoC-accredited facilities, UnityPoint Health — Norma Schmoker Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society.

This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world. Data on all types of cancer are tracked and analyzed through the NCDB and used to explore trends in cancer care.