Dr. Helen L. Collins This is Me

Education

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1. 1. Physicians

   www.rrmginc.com/physicians.asp - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/17/2008   Last Visited: 6/17/2008

   Helen Collins, M.D.

2. 2. Redwood Regional Medical Group - Caring For Patients...That's our Specialty!

   www.rrmginc.com/news.aspx?Type - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/22/2005   Last Visited: 6/17/2008

   "With more than 25 years in health care, the breadth and depth of Denise's experience is truly impressive," said RRMG President, Helen L. Collins, M.D. "With experience ranging from clinical care in an ICU setting to management positions in large non-profit systems, Denise is particularly well-suited to oversee the operations of our growing practice."

3. 3. Redwood Regional Medical Group - Caring For Patients...That's our Specialty!

   www.rrmginc.com/news.aspx?Type - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/31/2005   Last Visited: 6/17/2008

   When Dr. Helen Collins sits face to face with a woman with breast cancer, she has, in the back of her mind, a mental image of her med-school friend, named Denise.
   
   Although Denise had Hodgkin`s disease and was given five years to live, Denise went through her intense residency training at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, just as Collins did.
   
   Denise died, as predicted.
   
   "Denise didn`t want to waste her five years watching television or feeling sorry for herself," Collins said."So when I face a woman with breast cancer, it is my hope they spend their energy like Denise, by living in the present and not dwelling on their mortality."
   
   Collins, 42, heads Redwood Regional Medical Group`s new Integrated Breast Care Center, a service that combines diagnostic imaging, radiation, chemotherapy and surgery in one place.
   ...
   "Patients should not feel as if they`re starting treatment with a phone book of services and a map of doctor`s offices," Collins said.
   
   After her residency at Johns Hopkins University and a fellowship at Stanford University, Collins came to Santa Rosa in 1996 when physicians she`d known at Stanford contacted her about a position as medical oncologist at Redwood Regional.
   
   "I needed to go somewhere that you are taking care of patients instead of research projects," Collins said.
   
   Collins was tapped by Redwood Regional last summer to become the primary doctor who would handle breast cancer patients.Most were patients whose doctors are affiliated with Memorial Hospital, but others come from Sutter Health doctors by virtue of their type of health insurance.
   
   "The fact is, they want to see a woman," Collins said.
   ...
   "We have a population that is going to get more breast cancer because they are likely to be older, they tend to get more screening and do more self-exams, and they are more educated about their personal health," Collins said.
   
   Medical schools, she said, offer very little training in handling terminally ill patients and most learning comes on the job.
   
   "It is a tricky balance to avoid taking away all their hope but also make sure they understand the important details of treatment and side effects," she said.