Roswell Park, Oneida Health Make Quality Radiation Care Available in Oneida

The leadership from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo and Oneida Health recently held the grand opening of the Dorothy G. Griffin Radiation Oncology Center on Oneida’s campus. This is the next step in expanding the reach of the Roswell Park Care Network, which launched in May.

“Our shared vision with Oneida Health offers patients state-of-the-art equipment and clinical and technical expertise that only a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center such as Roswell Park can provide,” stated a news release issue by Roswell Park. “Under the Roswell Park Care Network, it means access to chemotherapy infusion, clinical trials, genetic counseling, supportive care and educational services. Adding radiation oncology to this slate of services expands convenient access to comprehensive cancer care for residents of Central New York.”

The completed radiation oncology center features four exam rooms, a consultation room, a CT scanner, a Truebeam linear accelerator for radiation therapy and required support facilities, with clinical and quality management provided by Roswell Park radiation oncologist Shilpa Vyas, as well as a Roswell Park medical dosimetrist and medical physicists.

Vyas and her team will follow the same quality standards patients can expect at Roswell Park, including evidence-based and peer-reviewed radiation treatment plans, availability of all treatment options and adherence to guidelines that carefully control radiation doses to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Every patient’s radiation treatment plan will be reviewed by a team of radiation oncologists at Roswell Park. In addition, all staff based in Oneida will be trained on Roswell Park standards. “This translates to exceptional National Cancer Institute-level cancer care for residents of Central New York,” according to the news release.

The center joins an established medical oncology center operated jointly by Roswell Park and Oneida Health on Oneida’s campus under the medical direction of physician Mohamed el-Naghy. Oneida Health is also currently in the process of expanding its outpatient Alice M. Gorman Imaging Center to further meet the needs of its cancer patients.

“Today marks another important step in Oneida Health and Roswell Park’s collaborative effort to provide a high quality of cancer care services to the residents of Central New York,” said Gene Morreale, president and CEO of Oneida Health. “With the addition of radiation oncology we will now be able to provide patients with more comprehensive treatment options, close to home. Patients will benefit from state-of-the-art diagnosis, local access to NCI cancer care guidelines, and the latest treatment options from a comprehensive cancer center ranked among the top 3% in the nation.

In 2016, Oneida Healthcare was awarded a grant from the NYS Department of Health for $6.75 million to expand oncology services to CNY in partnership with Roswell Park. That state investment has been further supported by regional donors who have contributed over $2.3 million to the project, including a $1 million gift from the Dorothy G. Griffin Charitable Foundation.