Providing Advanced, Comprehensive Care in Comfortable Setting, Patient Amenities and Clinical Trials
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (February 23, 2016) – White Plains Hospital today opened the door to the future of cancer care in Westchester County when it unveiled its new and expanded Center for Cancer Care. The Hospital’s Dickstein Cancer Center, constructed 17 years ago, was the first freestanding cancer center between New York City and New Haven. Since then, the Hospital has continually expanded programs and services in oncology, contributing to a legacy of outstanding cancer care in the community.
The Hospital has added a six-story tower with a new entrance, lobby, amenities, and physician offices that connects to the existing Dickstein building, providing a total of 70,000 square feet for cancer care. Cancer patients now have a diverse range of services for diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, survivorship, patient support and amenities under one roof, giving them unparalleled access to comprehensive, integrated cancer care, close to home.
Conveniently located on Longview Avenue in White Plains, the expanded facility has more than doubled in size to accommodate a growing demand. Many specialty oncology offices are now onsite, and there is added space for complementary therapies such as massage, yoga, and healing touch. Amenities for both patients and families include a medical library, meditation rooms, a gift shop, a café, wig fitting services, and valet parking.
The expanded Center for Cancer Care will also house offices for the Hospital’s growing number of cancer experts who have joined White Plains Hospital since 2011. The new center also includes expansive conference space to accommodate regular tumor board conferences, where physicians from a variety of specialties meet to collaborate on the best treatment plans for each individual patient.
“The new White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care is a clear leader in providing highly advanced and innovative care that’s also personalized, comfortable, and convenient,” said Susan Fox, President and CEO of White Plains Hospital. “Westchester residents no longer need to travel to New York City to receive comprehensive and sophisticated cancer services, with access to the resources of cutting edge academic medicine.”
Mark Gordon, M.D., Chairman of the White Plains Hospital Cancer Committee and Surgical Director of the Cancer Program, added, “This expansion builds on an outstanding 20-year foundation of success with our cancer program, and helps us reach the next level in exceptional care, with new and improved facilities, additional medical talent, state of the art technology and expanded access to research, all for the benefit of the patients we serve.”
More Space to Meet a Growing Demand
Alongside the increasing number of cancer survivors now living longer in the United States, White Plains Hospital has seen a growing demand for cancer treatment. The Hospital has added more than two dozen infusion bays which now include personal televisions and allow for individual control of light, sound, and temperature. In addition, the Hospital created both communal and private areas so that people can socialize while receiving chemotherapy, or work or relax in quiet. Amenities such as outlets and USB ports to charge cell phones, laptops, and tablets have been added as well.
Supported By a Full Service, Acute-Care Hospital
Fully integrated within the White Plains Hospital campus, the Center for Cancer Care gives patients access to seamless health care for any issues or emergencies that arise as a result of their diagnosis. If patients require additional treatment, they benefit from coordinated care led by a team of physicians who communicate directly and easily with each other.
“We are able to care for patients 24 hours a day if emergencies arise,” said Ms. Fox. “We are also supported by an inpatient oncology unit staffed by Magnet-designated and oncology-certified nurses who are specially trained in advanced cancer care. They, along with our outstanding physicians, many of whom have trained at some of the nation’s top academic medical centers, care for and understand our patients’ needs with ultimate skill and compassion.”
The new Center for Cancer Care also retains a commitment to caring for patients through their entire cancer journey, from diagnosis through all stages of treatment and survivorship by offering a variety of wellness initiatives, many in partnership with community organizations, through the lifespan. Family members and loved ones are also supported through the cancer journey through support groups, caregiver support programs and other resources.
A Beneficial Partnership with Montefiore
White Plains Hospital’s cancer care has been further enhanced by the Hospital’s partnership with Montefiore Health System. Ms. Fox explained, “Our partnership with Montefiore and the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care enables us to offer the most advanced and technologically sophisticated treatments and research, right here in the heart of Westchester.”
Steven Safyer, M.D., President and CEO of the Montefiore Health System said, “As a member of Montefiore Health System, White Plains Hospital is able to join forces with Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care to deliver interdisciplinary and comprehensive cancer care. He added, “This new cancer center allows patients in Westchester to participate in robust research for promising new therapies and access the most advanced, personalized care in a setting closer to their homes.”
As a result of the White Plains Hospital-Montefiore partnership, which was solidified in early 2015, individuals being treated for cancer at White Plains Hospital now have more opportunities than ever before to enroll in cancer clinical trials. The Hospital collaborates with physicians in the broader Westchester community to promote access to clinical trials for patients who may not respond to established protocols. In addition to the Hospital’s two-dozen clinical trials, patients in Westchester have access to more than 500 clinical trials now underway at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care.
Nationally Recognized for Its Cancer Care
The White Plains Hospital Cancer Program has a long history of recognition for excellence, having been repeatedly accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC) over the past two decades. The Cancer Program is also a repeated recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and in 2012 it received accreditation as a National Breast Center by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, and was reaccredited in 2015. It also received designation as a Lung Screening Center by the American College of Radiology in 2015.
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital (WPH) is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Dickstein Cancer Center, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, seeing over 57,000 visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, M.D. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital also has outpatient medical facilities in Armonk and New Rochelle. The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital is also an eleven-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation, and received Magnet® designation in 2012 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In 2014 White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades®, given to only 5% of hospitals nationwide. White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System. For additional information, visit http://www.wphospital.org.