Most people would agree that in 2009 Salisbury is a pretty remarkable city. The old adage, “you’ve come a long way baby,” never rang more true than when applied to this Eastern Shore hub. Watching this transformation take place over the years has been nothing short of fascinating. The small poultry town most of us remember has long since been replaced by a thriving commercial, educational, and medical metropolis. The most amazing aspect of this metamorphosis is almost certainly the strides the local medical community has taken. Gone are the days when people would race to the other side of the Chesapeake Bay to ensure their loved ones received the very best medical treatment. Today, the opposite is true. People travel east from across the bay, and indeed from around the country, to access some of the very best medical care available anywhere. Nowhere has the medical muscle flexed more visibly than in the treatment of cancer. Peninsula Regional Medical Center has long been established as the best cancer care provider in the region. Now, after much anticipation, it has made the best even better. On Sept. 24, 2008, the Medical Center’s Peninsula Cancer Center officially became the new Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute. The brand-new three-story 36,000-square-foot facility is the first of its kind on Delmarva to offer access to comprehensive, world-class cancer care in a single, convenient location. It features a new state-of-the-art outpatient infusion center, a dedicated pharmacy and laboratory, a multidisciplinary treatment center, physician offices for Peninsula Regional Oncology & Hematology and expanded clinical research and cancer registry programs. In addition, the Radiation Oncology Center has also been completely renovated.
And while the physical elements of the Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute, with its sparkling bluish reflective windows, may be the first to catch your eye, what’s more impressive are the advancements behind the scenes to enhance the way patients receive cancer care on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Peninsula Regional’s Cancer Program is accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, an achievement that only 25 percent of the nation’s hospitals are awarded. Peninsula Regional has received this honor continuously since 1970 and is the only accredited comprehensive cancer program on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Furthermore, after meeting all seven of the Commission on Cancer’s rigorous standards in a recent on-site evaluation, it received a perfect score and was awarded accreditation with Commendation. This places the Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute among the nation’s elite and is the hallmark of excellence in cancer care.
Triumphing over cancer takes advanced medicine and comprehensive treatment methods. The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute brings to the task a truly comprehensive and uniquely experienced multidisciplinary team of experts. This team, working together to fight every type of cancer, includes medical oncologists specializing in chemotherapy, radiation oncologists treating with the latest technologies in radiation therapy and surgical specialists skilled at the latest surgical techniques.
A highly trained team of experts is crucial in the treatment of cancer, but having the most technologically advanced tools for those specialists to utilize is equally important. The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute offers the widest array of the latest technology and treatment innovations, being the first, and oftentimes, only facility in the region to offer these advanced tools. It boasts the first daVinci® Surgical System Robot on the Delmarva Peninsula for minimally invasive prostate surgery and is one of the first centers in the United States to offer the Varian Trilogy System, the most powerful and precise radiation therapy system in the world.
Peninsula Regional also recognizes the importance of scientific research in advancing cancer treatment. As a result, the Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute has broadened its clinical research program, allowing patients to have access to the newest medications and breakthrough treatments, often several years before approval by the FDA. This means patients do not have to travel far from home to receive the medical world’s most dramatic advances from first-class medical and pharmaceutical research.
The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute also offers a wide assortment of complementary support services to meet the individual needs of patients and their families. For example, patient navigators are health care professionals who work with patients and their families from the moment cancer is diagnosed throughout the entire treatment process, offering guidance and understanding every step of the way. They provide emotional support, education, access to benefits and resources, assistance with paperwork, coordination of care, referrals to services and much more. Navigators also provide a vital connection between patients and the community, maintaining close ties with cancer groups throughout the area. Patient navigators serve as knowledgeable guides who steer the patient through the entire process of cancer treatment and care, making sure the journey through cancer diagnosis and treatment is never faced alone.
The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute was made possible, in part, thanks to a $2 million donation by the Richard A. Henson Foundation to the Peninsula Regional Medical Center Foundation’s “Journey to a Legacy” capital campaign. “The entire Peninsula Regional Medical Center team extends our gratitude to the Henson Foundation for helping to make this historical transformation possible,” stated Alan Newberry, president/CEO of the Peninsula Regional Health System. “Over the past 38 years, we’ve assembled all of the components necessary to provide comprehensive, quality cancer care close to home. The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute has now allowed us to bring our previous experiences, new capabilities and expanded resources together under one roof. Patients, families and the region will benefit for years to come.”
Few things in life can make us more proud than watching someone we care about achieve greatness. Those who live and work in the great city of Salisbury and the surrounding areas can all take pride in the fact that Peninsula Regional Medical Center has taken its place among the elite hospitals in America. The new Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute has helped secure the Medical Center’s status as one of the prestigious names in the treatment of cancer. Now, those of us who call the Eastern Shore our home have another reason to hold our heads high. More importantly, if we ever need the very best that modern medicine has to offer, we can be confident that is right here in our own backyard.
