FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 17, 2011
Contact:
Veronica Rosa, VP Development and PR
Phone: 978-466-2341 or vrosa@healthalliance.com
FITCHBURG - On Monday, June 6, 2011, HealthAlliance Hospital
along with UMass Memorial Health Care celebrated the expansion of the
Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center with a groundbreaking event on the
Fitchburg Campus. Over 150 people attended the event and the celebrants included
political leaders, board members, employees, community members, cancer survivors
and UMass Memorial Health Care and HealthAlliance leadership.
"The early outpouring of support for this project is encouraging and
exciting," remarked Patrick Muldoon, president and CEO of HealthAlliance
Hospital. "Our cancer center offers very high quality care but we also offer
compassionate care which is just as important," continued Muldoon. "The staff
at the cancer center are outstanding individuals who are passionate about and
committed to every patient we treat. I'm so proud to have them on our team."
The Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center is a joint partnership between UMass
Memorial Health Care and HealthAlliance Hospital. Over the past year the cancer
center has added a new Complementary Care Center, provided over 11,500 medical
oncology treatments and more than 10,600 radiation therapy treatments.
"We have a system approach to fighting cancer and we believe in investing in
the fight against cancer," stated John O'Brien, President and CEO of UMass
Memorial Health Care. "We offer world class care and our entire system is
committed to this expansion project and to North Central Massachusetts,"
continued O'Brien.
A highlight of the program included remarks by Gloria Roddy, cancer survivor.
Ms. Roddy came to the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center in 2004 as a patient
and has also been a bone marrow transplant patient at UMass Memorial Health
Care. Ms. Roddy continues to survive and thrive. "I'm doing so well because of
the care I received at the cancer center," shared Ms. Roddy. "The physicians and
staff are amazing and the center is so close to my home. It was such a relief to
me and my family members to receive treatment right in our own community.
Fighting cancer is hard work - you need all your strength to fight the cancer
and you don't want to waste energy on traveling far distances to receive
care."
The expansion project will cost approximately $13.5 million and will include
adding a second linear accelerator, a new pharmacy and growing the space from
over 29,000 square feet to over 33,000 square feet. "This project represents a
major investment in North Central Massachusetts and in Fitchburg," shared
Muldoon. "Over 75 percent of the contractors working on this project are local
companies. It's important to us to support our community and we have many highly
skilled companies here to work with," added Muldoon.
HealthAlliance Hospital will soon be launching a capital campaign to help
raise the funds needed to complete the project. Mr. Muldoon added, "I'm thrilled
to share that the HealthAlliance Hospital Guild has already committed $125,000
to the Patient-Centered Care component of the expansion project. The project is
not only bricks and mortar but focused on providing an exceptional patient
experience."
The patient-centered care component of the campaign will include a patient
navigator program, survivorship program and expanded complementary care
services. The entire project is slated to be completed by the spring/summer of
2012.