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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 in 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 which 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," Mr. Guyon added. "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," he concluded.

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," Ms. Oldrid said. "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."

She added, "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, 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
http://www.SaintAnnesHospital.org.