Baton Rouge, La., April 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Women facing breast or gynecologic cancer will have increased access to specialized care in a unique facility specially built for women when the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion opens May 1 on the Woman’s Hospital campus. This new $19 million facility is the only one of its kind in the Gulf South region and enables women to receive state-of-the-art care. Women can receive care close to home from local physician teams working collaboratively. The Pavilion was made possible through a partnership between Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, which doubles the expertise in treating breast and gynecologic cancer.
“Woman’s Hospital’s name is intended to convey our commitment to treating each woman’s unique and individual healthcare needs throughout her lifetime,” said Teri Fontenot, president and CEO, Woman’s Hospital. “This commitment now extends to the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion, a place where a woman can benefit from our hospital’s expert care for women, along with the Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center’s team of expertise in oncology.”
Combined resources will provide patients with the highest level of breast and gynecologic cancer care in the Gulf South region, including:
- Collaborative teams of medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, research staff, nurse navigators, nutritionists and social workers collaborating to provide gold-standard care
- Comprehensive treatments, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy
- A dedicated Advanced Imaging area featuring diagnostic mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, MRI, breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy and breast needle localization
- Elekta Infinity™, a highly advanced digital linear accelerator that enhances precision, but with less radiation exposure and treatment time than other technologies
- The Elekta Agility™, a custom beam-shaping solution for cancer treatment, used in conjunction with Infinity to further enhance precision, sparing normal, healthy tissue
- A real-time solution for tumor tracking and alignment by Catalyst HD™ System, the only one in Louisiana
- GE Discovery IQ™ technology, which blends PET and CT images into one image, providing greater image accuracy and shorter treatment times
- A 16-bay infusion center for chemotherapy treatments in a relaxed, tranquil setting; it includes a high-tech onsite clinical pharmacy for quick, safe delivery of medications
- An integrated medicine program, which includes physical and occupational therapy, massage therapy, nutrition, healing arts, yoga, support groups and more. These services are intended to complement medical treatments and provide relief from the anxiety and pain of illness, offering hope to patients and their loved ones
- National Cancer Institute clinical trials for breast and GYN cancers, including studies for prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship
“The power of this partnership and the resources it brings together for women is unlike anything else available in the region, and will lead to enhanced outcomes and health in our community and beyond,” said Todd Stevens, president and CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “The amount of cancer expertise within this partnership is vast, including breakthrough clinical trials. Through the Cancer Center’s participation as a component site of the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program and expansive research network throughout the state, we’ll bring the latest and most advanced trials to women. This means they can stay closer to home for treatment.”
Key design and construction features include:
- Three floors with 39,100 square feet dedicated to breast and gynecologic cancer care
- Conference room for multidisciplinary care meetings
- Flexible clinic space for a variety of cancer-related services
- A two-story glass atrium designed as a respite for patients and their family members; a forthcoming capital campaign will transform the space into a healing garden
- Designated self-parking and free valet parking
In addition to the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion, patients will continue to have the choice to access services at Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center’s main campus on Essen Lane or the LSU Health Baton Rouge North Clinic on Airline Highway in north Baton Rouge.
“We’ve taken the patient-centered approach that was used in renovating and expanding the Cancer Center a few years ago and applied it to the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion. Regardless of where a patient chooses to access care, whether it’s at the Pavilion or another location in our system, each can count on care being compassionate, innovative and the most effective medicine,” said Scott Wester, president and CEO of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. “This integrated care system will be recognized as a national model for treating patients with breast and GYN cancer.”
For more information on Woman’s and the Cancer Center’s breast and GYN partnership, including the Breast and GYN Pavilion, please visit www.sisterhoodstrong.org.
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About Woman’s Hospital
Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is one of the first specialty hospitals for women and infants. Since opening in 1968, it has welcomed more than 300,000 babies, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman's operates the highest-level neonatal intensive care unit in the state and cares for infants who are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the hospital to continue Woman's mission to improve the health of women and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff and critical community programs and services. For more information, visit www.womans.org.
About Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center
As a regional destination for cancer care, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center offers the most advance technology and services provided by a dedicated team of nationally-recognized oncology experts. The Cancer Center provides best-practice, comprehensive care at every stage of the cancer journey, including disease site-specific multidisciplinary care teams, a robust clinical research program, extensive supportive care services and is the only facility in the Gulf South with the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™. The American College of Surgeons has named the Cancer Center a recipient of its prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for three consecutive survey cycles. As a nonprofit organization, donor generosity is essential to sustaining the mission of improving survivorship and lessening the burden of cancer for so many throughout Southeast Louisiana and beyond. For more information on the Cancer Center, and how you can become involved, please visit marybirdlake.org.
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