| PALMER — Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Center cancer patients, who receive quality care in an intimate community hospital setting, also benefit from the hospital’s affiliation with the UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Medical School.
These institutions, both located in Worcester, are among the most prestigious medical facilities in the country. The medical school recently received recognition as one of the top schools educating primary care physicians, ranking fourth in the nation. The school and medical center are consistently at the forefront of medical research and the latest advances in health care. UMass Memorial Health Care System is the largest health care system in Central and Western Mass.
Azra Raza, MD, UMass Memorial Medical Center chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, said she is a strong advocate of bringing breakthrough treatments to cancer patients at Wing Memorial and other community hospitals in the UMass Memorial Health Care system.
Because Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Center physicians also practice at UMass Memorial Medical Center, these specialists are able to offer the most advanced diagnoses and treatments available in our region, ensuring optimal care for every patient.
“Wing Memorial is a very important part of our outreach program,” said Raza. “We in Worcester are like a central node to provide our expertise. Physicians are seeing patients here and in our outreach programs. When our physicians see patients at Wing they know exactly what is available here.”
“Having cancer is hard enough,” said Raza. “We want to serve our patients in the best way we can. We want to make it easy for them to be treated. We want to make everything available close to where they are and not deprive them of the best treatment available.”
Raza, a world-renowned clinical oncologist, leads the largest program in the United States for the treatment of pre-leukemias. Her team is currently conducting nine clinical trials, six of which are only being done at UMass Memorial.
A longtime proponent of bringing the best medical care to community hospitals, Raza sees outreach programs as a main component of cancer care within the UMass Memorial Health system. She said the mission of the UMass Memorial Cancer Center is to be the best available center for cancer research and education, to put patients first, and to enhance cancer awareness and education in the community.
UMass Memorial’s Cancer Center at Wing Memorial offers patients chemotherapy for cancers of the lungs, breast, colon, and prostate. The hospital’s surgeons treat lung, colon, prostate, and breast cancers.
The Wing center is a bright, airy and comfortable space that includes a private waiting room; exam rooms; treatment rooms; and recliner chairs with small televisions for the patient’s comfort while receiving chemotherapy treatments. Patients can also receive therapeutic injections for anemia, infusion treatments (IV medications), and blood transfusions at the clinic.
Timothy Johnson, M.D., medical oncologist at Wing Memorial said approximately 1000 cancer patients a year are treated at the cancer center. He said the number of patients coming to the clinic each week has increased by 25{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in recent years.
“Breast cancer is our number one diagnosis,” said Johnson, adding that he believes Wing Memorial patients are fortunate to be able to utilize the resources offered by UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Medical School. He said that because the facility is a teaching hospital, the care and technology offered on the campus is state-of-the-art.
Wing Memorial cancer patients who require specialized treatment are often transferred to the UMass cancer center in order to receive this high level of care, including radiation therapy. The institution also has the best laboratory and pathology capabilities; much of Wing Memorial’s testing is done at UMass.
Patients from Wing Memorial have access to a team of 14 cancer specialists at UMass Memorial Cancer Center, including Johnson and Raza, who specialize in treating a variety of cancers.
“It’s reassuring to me that we have such an accomplished team of physicians at UMass to collaborate with at Wing Memorial,” said Johnson. “The quality of what we do here is enhanced because of our connection to UMass Memorial Health Care System. It’s also much closer than Boston and is more convenient for our patients.”
Physicians at Wing Memorial and UMass Memorial strive to make certain that treatment options are as convenient as possible for patients. The Cancer Center conducts extensive research and clinical trials, and utilizes the latest discoveries from laboratories and research centers worldwide.
If an area patient wants to be involved in a UMass clinical trial, they will likely only make one trip to Worcester for an initial study. Once the trial begins, the patient can be treated at Wing Memorial and only visit UMass periodically.
“I’m very excited about our outreach programs and very committed to them,” said Raza. “I’m committed to our patients receiving the best care wherever they are located. We have to do everything to maintain, improve, and expand these programs and continue to work together to benefit our patients. That must remain our focus.” |
