Saint Anne’s Hospital and Hawthorn Medical Associates break ground for new cancer care services in North Dartmouth6/18/2008Among those at the groundbreaking for the new “Saint Anne’s Hospital Regional Cancer Care-Dartmouth Center” were (below, left-right) radiation oncologist Michele Albert, MD; SAH President Bob Guyon; Rita Linggood, MD, chief of radiation oncology; Susan Oldrid, vice president for development; Sr. Vimala Vadakumpadan, OP, chair of the SAH board of trustees; and John Jurczyk, vice president, ambulatory services.
The new Saint Anne’s Hospital Regional Cancer Care-Dartmouth Center will be located on the campus of Hawthorn Medical Associates, 535 Faunce Corner Road, North Dartmouth. The new building will include 20,675 square feet on the first floor for Saint Anne’s to house two new linear accelerators capable of providing an extensive range of radiation therapy options. This state-of-the-art regional cancer center will replace the radiation capabilities that have been provided since 1994 by Saint Anne’s at The Oncology Center on Hawthorn Street in North Dartmouth and, at the same time, dramatically expand both the array of services and offer the very latest medical technology. The new Dartmouth center will be operated by Saint Anne’s radiation therapy staff under the direction of radiation oncologists who are members of the staff of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, with appointments at Harvard Medical School. The center will also offer patients other important services, including access to emerging new therapies through national clinical trials offered by Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare and the National Cancer Institute and comprehensive support, survivorship and interpreter services. Robert E. Guyon, Jr., president of Saint Anne’s Hospital, notes that the new radiation therapy facility is a continuation of Saint Anne’s Hospital’s role as a regional leader in cancer care that began in 1976 and that has been made possible by the support and collaboration of many. “For more than 30 years, Saint Anne’s has been committed to providing the best in cancer care in southeastern Massachusetts,” said Saint Anne’s Hospital President Robert E. Guyon, Jr. “Since its inception, Saint Anne’s Hospital Regional Cancer Care Program has offered a growing program of cancer care capabilities to meet the increasing needs of our community, almost 6,000 today. “Our commitment to bringing the best in cancer care to southeastern Massachusetts is evidenced by this new facility,” continued Guyon. “There is a clear need for state-of-the-art capabilities for residents in the Greater New Bedford area, and Saint Anne’s history and tradition of bringing the best, most sophisticated services right into the community continues with this new facility. We are grateful to all who have made this possible, including the leadership of Hawthorn Medical Associates in recognizing Saint Anne’s as the regional leader in cancer care; the boards of Saint Anne’s Hospital and Caritas Christi Health Care, for their unwavering support of our mission to serve and vision in bringing this $21 million investment to fruition; and to our founders, the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation.” Susan Oldrid, CFRE, vice president for development, notes that a capital campaign will give area residents the chance to support a much-needed project. “The campaign will support the enhancement of Saint Anne’s longstanding, highly respected cancer care program,” said Oldrid. “Philanthropic support is a key component of any major program’s success, but this one is special because it will provide those living with cancer in the New Bedford region access to the latest technology and proven treatments that are second to none. We’re pleased that lead gifts, totaling close to $2 million from the Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED Foundation, the Friends of Saint Anne’s Hospital, and members of the hospital’s senior leadership team and board of trustees have launched the campaign, and we invite those who want to support this important project to join us.” Accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as a comprehensive community cancer program, the Hudner Oncology Center is staffed by board-certified medical oncologists/hematologists and radiation oncologists, many of whom serve on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Services include chemotherapy and advanced radiation therapy, numerous patient and family education and support programs, free screening activities, community education, and access to national clinical trials through the National Cancer Institute and Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare. In addition to radiation and support services in North Dartmouth, MA, Hudner also provides consultation services in Newport, RI. In addition to adult cancer care, Saint Anne’s also provides pediatric outpatient cancer care services, including comprehensive outpatient diagnostic services and on-site complex day therapy, in collaboration with the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. Saint Anne’s Hospital is a
community hospital with comprehensive
inpatient and outpatient services, serving southeastern Massachusetts
and nearby Rhode Island. Specialized services include oncology,
pediatrics, orthopedics, diabetes, rehabilitation, cardiac care,
behavioral medicine, and pain management. Founded in 1906 by the
Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, who continue to co-sponsor the
hospital, Saint Anne's Hospital is a member of Caritas Christi Health
Care, the second largest not-for-profit health system in New
England. Additional information
about programs and services at
Saint Anne’s Hospital and throughout Caritas Christi is available at www.SaintAnnesHospital.org.
SIDEBAR A
look at Saint Anne's Hospital Regional Cancer Care radiation
oncology capabilities coming to Hawthorn Medical Associates
Radiation oncology is the branch of cancer care that uses high-energy, penetrating radiation to kill cancer cells. This may consist of external beam therapy (beams originating outside the body) or brachytherapy (radioactive isotopes inserted inside the body). The primary purpose of radiation therapy is to eliminate or shrink cancers that have not spread to other parts of the body by killing as many cancer cells as possible, while doing minimal damage to healthy tissue. It may be used alone, or in conjunction with surgery and/or chemotherapy. The new state-of-the-art radiation therapy capabilities at the Hawthorn campus will include: • Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT).
This technology delivers radiation therapy that follows tumors that may
move with normal breathing, such as in the chest of abdomen. The tumors
also move due to the effects of radiation therapy. • High-dose rate (HDR) radiation therapy. Available at the hospital’s Hudner Oncology Center since 2007, this form of therapy delivers precisely calculated radiation at a high dose rate via a catheter directly to a tumor or tumor bed, with minimal risk to adjacent organs. Typical treatments are scheduled over two to five visits instead of the more traditional six weeks used in external radiation. Considered highly effective for uterine and cervical cancers, HDR initially is offered primarily for gynecologic, skin and early breast cancers, as well as for palliative therapy. • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT, offered at the Hudner Oncology Center since 2004, offers advanced 3-D treatment of certain kinds of tumors through the use of highly calibrated X-ray beams that directly conform to the tumor. IMRT “paints” the beam to the tumor and surrounding microscopic disease while avoiding critical organs. It is used in the treatment of cancers of the brain; head and neck; lung; pelvic region; and other sites. IMRT offers fewer complications or side effects and may sometimes be used as a non-invasive alternative to surgery. • CT simulation technology.
This
radiation treatment planning modality allows clinicians to precisely
plan, or map, radiation therapy. CT simulation uses a
three-dimensional, computer-guided process to conform the dose of
radiation as tightly as possible to the tumor and surrounding
microscopic disease. As a result, patients are able to receive a
localized high dose of radiation, thus reducing the radiation damage to
normal tissue while more precisely targeting cancer cells.
Introduced regionally at the Hudner Oncology Center in 2002 for all
area patients undergoing radiation therapy, the new machine will allow
local patients to remain in the community for their treatment planning.
|
Fall
River, MA – Citing the growing need for advanced cancer care therapies
for patients in southeastern Massachusetts, officials from Saint Anne’s
Hospital and Hawthorn Medical Associates have broken ground for a
43,820-square-foot cancer care center that will feature a $21 million
investment in highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art radiation therapy
capabilities not previously available in the Greater New Bedford area
and currently available only in academic medical centers.