Berlin, Md. – On Thursday, October 26th, the last beam to be installed in the new John H. “Jack” Burbage,
Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center was signed. On-site to sign the beam was
CEO and President of Atlantic General Hospital, Michael Franklin, Board
Chair, Hugh Cropper, IV, Campaign for the Future Co-Chair and campaign
Life Visionary, Jack Burbage, Jr., providers Dr. Rabindra Paul and Dr.
Roopa Gupta, and staff from AGH’s Regional Cancer Care Center.
In Maryland and Delaware, the cancer rate is higher than the U.S. average.
Additionally, Community Needs surveys conducted in our region demonstrates
that cancer treatment is considered one of the most critically important
health needs today. This new dedicated cancer care facility conveniently
located on Atlantic General hospital’s campus, right here in our
community, will allow patients and their families easy, local access to
a broader range of services than ever before.
The Regional Cancer Care Center will combine personalized care and advanced
technology, enabling patients to move smoothly through the various steps
of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The center will offer comprehensive, wide-ranging services on one campus
including medical oncology/chemotherapy, radiation oncology, advanced
laparoscopic surgery, interventional radiology and advanced minimally-invasive
surgery such as cystoscopy services, advanced laparoscopic surgery and
advanced women’s GYN surgery. Diagnostic services such as
PET scans, CT, MRI, mammography, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine along
with lab and pathology services and an advanced breast diagnostic center
including stereotactic needle biopsy, along with colonoscopies and stomach/esophageal
endoscopies are available as well. Also provided will be cancer prevention,
education and support for patients and caregivers such as palliative care,
pastoral care, patient navigation, pharmacy / medical counseling, rehabilitation
services health screenings, education and outreach support groups and
services for the entire community.
In addition to those many services, the new center will enhance the direct
telemedicine relationship the hospital currently has with the University
of Maryland Medical Center. Through this relationship residents of the
lower Eastern Shore who may require advanced lung surgery, including those
with diagnosed or suspected cancers, are now able to meet with leading
experts in thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center
(UMMC) in Baltimore without leaving the Shore. By video teleconferencing,
UMMC thoracic surgeons virtually consult with a patient at AGH and review
scans and other tests to determine if he or she is a surgical candidate.
The entire work-up and pre-operative consultation is done here at AGH’s
campus. If a surgical procedure is needed, it will be performed at UMMC,
home to the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
(UMGCCC), a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer
center with post-surgical care conveniently provided back at AGH.
The new 18,000 sq. ft. center began undergoing construction in June, 2017.
The center is expected to reach completion in the spring of 2018.
About Atlantic General Hospital
Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the
residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) counties
since May 1993. Built through the commitment and generosity of a dedicated
community, Atlantic General’s main facility in Berlin, Md., combines
the warmth of personalized attention with the reassurance of medical expertise
and advanced technology. The not-for-profit hospital provides quality
specialty care in oncology, medical and surgical weight loss, orthopedics,
and women’s diagnostics among other services. Atlantic General Health
System, its network of more than 40 primary care providers and specialists,
cares for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information
about Atlantic General Hospital, visit
www.atlanticgeneral.org.
Caption Photo 1: From left: Michael Franklin, president and CEO Atlantic
General Hospital; Hugh Cropper, IV., Board of Trustees Chairman; Jack
Burbage, Jr., Campaign for the Future Co-Chair; Roopa Gupta, M.D. and
Rabindra Paul, M.D.
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