ILWACO, Wash. – After more than 30 years in private practice, Dr. Ivan Law retired in January from his Portland clinic to take a full-time position as oncologist at Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics. For the past four years, he had been commuting to the coast to run a weekend program at the hospital. He decided to eliminate the commute and make a permanent transition.

The timing could not have been better, according to Marianne Baker, the hospital’s nursing manager, who oversees the oncology program. Baker said demand was beginning to outstrip the hospital’s capacity to deliver service so an expanded program made sense.

“There’s a huge need in our community, and we just weren’t able to meet the demand with a weekend-only schedule. Now, we’re able to accommodate more of our patients. It’s been very good for the community,” Baker said.

A board certified oncologist, Law trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute. He practiced hematology and oncology in Portland and was affiliated with Providence Cancer Center and Legacy Emanuel hospitals.

When Law visits families of the cancer patients he treats, he tells them he understands their battle. “My wife, Terry, was diagnosed with cancer,” Law said. “I understand what the families face – the anger, the fear.” Now a six-year survivor, his wife is a constant reminder of what Law considers one of the most crucial elements of treatment – hope. “Families come to me and they have no hope. I tell them cancer is not a hopeless disease. Too many think it is. We have hope, a lot of hope. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in this field.”

Law is an advocate of the team approach to healthcare. “We work as a team – everybody has to be involved,” Law said. This includes monthly meetings with in-depth analysis of every phase of the clinical practice. “We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “Every individual is different, so every treatment plan is different.”

He is also incorporating new ideas that show promise, including elements of integrative or holistic medicine. One example he cited is the herb ginger, which significantly reduces nausea associated with chemotherapy. Another shift in cancer treatment is to implement a regimen of aggressive chemotherapy prior to surgery in an effort to shrink tumors. Law said this trend began about two years ago. Traditional practice has been surgery first, then chemotherapy. Law said this new strategy has been highly successful.

Law’s team is developing plans to boost education and local screenings for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer, and is undertaking steps to form a cancer support group. For information on the cancer support group, contact Jami Greenfield at (360) 642-6475.