Melvin and Bren Iu Simon Cancer Center

Melvin and Bren Indiana University Simon Cancer Center

Christian Ward

Evaluation Paper

English 111

Ivy Tech State College

Dr. Wendy Kruger

October 8, 2009

Earlier this spring, a sad event struck the Briscoe family. Kimberly Briscoe, a mother, a sister, and a friend, lost the battle with Cancer dying well before her time. With her death, two little girls were left without a mother and a loving husband without his wife. Unfortunately this situation is more common than many people realize. According to the American Cancer society out of 1,479,350 cases of cancer reported, 562,340 people have died in 2009 alone. Among this statistic 292,540 have been men, and 269,800 have been women. These numbers make it the second most common cause of death in the United States with only heart disease exceeding it (Cancer). Such numbers are astonishing, showing the great cost of cancer on a national scale.

With the constant struggle against cancer affecting the lives of many different people, facilities have struggled to find room for their patients. In August of 2008, the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center opened up a new 405,000 square foot, $150 million facility dedicated strictly to research and treatment for patients (Personal Interview). With the increasing need for excellent care in the oncology field, how well does the IU Simon Cancer Center perform its service? Through an interview with the Cancer Center’s administrative director Jeff Heffelfinger as well as online research and brochures, this paper will look to determine the overall quality of the IU Simon Cancer Center. In addition, it will explore three criteria: the number of patients served, comfort of patients and service quality, so that an opinion might be formulated to the overall quality of the IU Simon Cancer Center’s practice.

When taking into consideration any non-profit organization, including that of a hospital, one must consider the patients who are consumers of the...