March 16th, 2010Skagit Valley Medical Center Establishes a Clinical Research Department
Mount Vernon, WA - Skagit Valley Medical Center is pleased to announce the addition of a Clinical Research Department. Establishing a Clinical Research team places SVMC at the forefront of medical advances and offers local patients the ability to receive the latest treatment options for their condition. The SVMC Clinical Research team coordinates the care of patients who choose to participate in national clinical trials and registries and works closely with each patient over the course of the study. SVMC Clinical Research is currently seeking volunteers for a psoriasis study and is vetting other studies for future participation. Patients interested in volunteering for a clinical study are encouraged to call (360) 848-4155 for more information.
Clinical trials not only offer a variety of benefits to the volunteers, but also to other patients with the same medical condition. Volunteers receive study-related medications, lab and diagnostic procedures and study-related medical care at no charge. Volunteering in a clinical trial may help to improve the volunteer's health and can potentially lead to the discovery of treatments to help other patients facing the same diagnosis. Local patients now have the opportunity to play an important role in finding new treatments for medical conditions. "We are excited to approach clinical research in a more formalized way that benefits patients and the community by offering safe, new treatments at an early stage," says Dr. John Bond, President of Skagit Valley Medical Center. SVMC's clinical trials will also benefit the local community by serving as a tool to recruit and retain high quality physicians. Bond says, "Many physicians participate in clinical research during their residency training and are interested in continuing that involvement in their practice."
Clinical trials are used to determine whether new medical treatments are safe and effective and often identify improved treatments for illnesses. Clinical trials involve collecting data to answer a medical question about the safety or potential benefit of a medication, medical procedure or device. Prior to any human testing, years of carefully controlled scientific studies have been done on animals to determine the safety of new treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established requirements for drug testing and typically must authorize a drug company's proposal to conduct clinical studies. The FDA requires testing on real patients through clinical trials before any new medications are approved for use by the general public. An ethics group, called the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is also involved in reviewing the clinical studies to ensure that the participant's rights and safety are protected. The results of the clinical trial may show that the investigational treatment is better than, as good as, or not any better than the current treatment for the same condition.
Skagit Valley Medical Center is a multi-specialty medical group that has served area residents since 1971. Today the medical staff has expanded to include more than ninety physicians and allied healthcare professionals in twenty medical specialties caring for patients in Skagit and North Snohomish counties. For more information about the Skagit Valley Medical Center, please visit www.svmc.net. For additional information about SVMC Clinical Research, call (360) 848-4155.
Clinical trials not only offer a variety of benefits to the volunteers, but also to other patients with the same medical condition. Volunteers receive study-related medications, lab and diagnostic procedures and study-related medical care at no charge. Volunteering in a clinical trial may help to improve the volunteer's health and can potentially lead to the discovery of treatments to help other patients facing the same diagnosis. Local patients now have the opportunity to play an important role in finding new treatments for medical conditions. "We are excited to approach clinical research in a more formalized way that benefits patients and the community by offering safe, new treatments at an early stage," says Dr. John Bond, President of Skagit Valley Medical Center. SVMC's clinical trials will also benefit the local community by serving as a tool to recruit and retain high quality physicians. Bond says, "Many physicians participate in clinical research during their residency training and are interested in continuing that involvement in their practice."
Clinical trials are used to determine whether new medical treatments are safe and effective and often identify improved treatments for illnesses. Clinical trials involve collecting data to answer a medical question about the safety or potential benefit of a medication, medical procedure or device. Prior to any human testing, years of carefully controlled scientific studies have been done on animals to determine the safety of new treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established requirements for drug testing and typically must authorize a drug company's proposal to conduct clinical studies. The FDA requires testing on real patients through clinical trials before any new medications are approved for use by the general public. An ethics group, called the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is also involved in reviewing the clinical studies to ensure that the participant's rights and safety are protected. The results of the clinical trial may show that the investigational treatment is better than, as good as, or not any better than the current treatment for the same condition.
Skagit Valley Medical Center is a multi-specialty medical group that has served area residents since 1971. Today the medical staff has expanded to include more than ninety physicians and allied healthcare professionals in twenty medical specialties caring for patients in Skagit and North Snohomish counties. For more information about the Skagit Valley Medical Center, please visit www.svmc.net. For additional information about SVMC Clinical Research, call (360) 848-4155.