Southeast

There was little fanfare Monday when Putnam Hospital Center celebrated the first anniversary of its five story, 113,000 square foot patient building- -the Camarda Care Center just the realization that patient care has reached new heights with the state-of-the-art facility.

The addition contains the Wagner Cancer Pavilion on the first floor--a 9890 square foot leading edge cancer center housing the Trilogy linear accelerator that allows for radiation to be administered directly to the tumor.

Elizabeth Gomez, Director of Oncology Services at PHC, estimated more than 150 people had been treated with the new technology that cost $3 million or more than the entire original Putnam Hospital Center cost to build in 1964.

Gomez said the new center also offers cancer screenings, genetics counseling and a full range of diagnostic services including mammography, ultrasound, needle biopsies, surgical biopsies and pathological programs.

The hospital has just been awarded a three year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as a result of a survey conducted by the American College of Radiology. Gomez said the Agarwal Center for Radiation Oncology underwent the “intense accreditation process to demonstrate its commitment to quality patient care.”

Gomez called cancer care “extremely complex. Sometimes progress is measured in inches rather than yards.”

Patients using the facility come from far and wide. Gomez talked about a woman who resides in Orange County but works in Brewster who decided to come to the new center for her radiation. “She schedules appointments around her work schedule which makes the therapy easier for her,” said Gomez.

Dr. Dimitrios Papadopoulos, a board certified radiation oncologist, described the past year as being “extremely productive. The Putnam Hospital program is a solid one which has made a difference for cancer patients residing and working in and around Putnam County.”

Dr. Papadopoulos said through technology, physicians can visualize the area being treated with a CAT scan prior to the administration of the therapy: “We are now able to provide a higher dosage to the tumor and at the same time minimize the radiation to normal tissues resulting in less side effects with better control rates.”

The new center offers more than cancer care. Physicians offices are located on the third floor with 70 private patient rooms on the fourth and fifth floors.

–Eric Gross