Open house & tours planned for Southcoast Center for Cancer Care

Fall festival on Saturday, October 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. will also offer entertainment and family-focused activities

FALL RIVER, Mass. — The public is invited to tour the new Southcoast Center for Cancer Care on Saturday, October 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

The Southcoast Center for Cancer Care doctors, patient navigator and health care team will be conducting tours of the new center, presenting health information and answering questions throughout the afternoon.

Highlights of the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care open house include:

• Meet our physicians, patient navigator and care team.
• Tour the new center.
• Fall-themed entertainment and family-focused activities:
  • Pumpkin decorating station for kids.
  • Professional pumpkin carver.
  • Healthy cooking demonstrations.
• Health information.
• Prizes & giveaways.

The Southcoast Center for Cancer Care is located in the Mitchell Therapies Building at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. The entrance to the new center and the activity tent will be located off Prospect Street at the back of Charlton Memorial Hospital. Ample parking is available. The event will take place rain or shine. No registration necessary. For more information, call 508-961-5899.

Southcoast Hospitals Group announced the opening of its new Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fall River this past July. Located at Charlton Memorial Hospital, the new cancer care center is the first step toward bringing coordinated care and advanced oncology services to the entire South Coast region — from Fall River to Cape Cod.

The new comprehensive center provides a full range of oncology services, including image-guided radiation therapy, the very latest technology available in radiation treatment for cancer. The radiation therapy program will utilize IGRT, IMRT and PET/CT technology, which is considered the very latest technology available in radiation treatment for cancer. The Cancer Center will also specialize in the latest chemotherapies, surgery and advanced diagnostic imaging. Support services, educational materials and screenings will be offered in collaboration with the American Cancer Society.

Team of Caregivers

Southcoast has pulled together an outstanding team of professionals, including physicians from some of the major academic cancer centers around the country. Patients undergoing cancer treatments may receive care from medical, radiation and/or surgical oncologists. Other members of the team include oncology nurses, technologists, pharmacists, social workers and nutritionists.

Leading the team is Therese Mulvey, MD, a board-certified physician in medical oncology and internal medicine. She joined Southcoast as Physician-in-Chief for Oncology Services from Commonwealth Hematology Oncology in Quincy, Mass., New England's largest private cancer care network, where she has practiced since 1991 and served as president.

Comforting care

Southcoast's new Cancer Centers also has a dedicated "Patient Navigator" to make sure every patient's journey through cancer treatment is as smooth as possible. The Patient Navigator is a "go-to" person to help coordinate appointments, answer questions and point them in the right direction will guide every patient through their care. This coordinator will manage all aspects of the patient's care, including appointments with physicians, radiology and laboratory services, medication and pain management, support services, transportation and any questions the patient or family members may have during their visit or after they return home.

The Fall River cancer center will operate as an extension of Southcoast's new flagship cancer center in Fairhaven that was announced last year and is slated to open in 2011. The Fairhaven center will be located on Mill Road and will address the fragmented cancer care and growing need for advanced comprehensive cancer services in the eastern portion of the region. Patients in that part of the South Coast currently have to travel long distances for cancer care.