February 26, 2008
Milford cancer center opening is 'dream come true'
For DF/BWCC patient Kathy Davis, the new cancer center in Milford means new surroundings but the familiar face of her nurse, Mary-Beth Proulx.
Kathy Davis had chemotherapy for lung cancer in the oncology unit at Milford Regional Medical Center (MRMC) on Friday, Jan. 11. The following Wednesday she was back, but now receiving care across the street in a brand-new facility three times its size.
Described by Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, as a "beacon of hope and safe haven for care," Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center at MRMC opened on Jan. 14, five days after its official ribbon cutting. The new partnership brings state-of-the-art care to patients in this suburban community 35 miles southwest of Boston, and represents a "dream come true," according to Michael Constantine, MD, director of Dana-Farber's medical oncology unit there.
Nurses and staff worked all weekend, stocking supplies and preparing for the first day, says Patricia Nutting, RN, NP, nurse manager for the unit. There are many adjustments for them, she admits, such as learning several new computer software programs. "Often when you start a new job, your colleagues can show you the ropes," Nutting explains. "But here, everyone is new."
Well, not exactly everyone. During the transition, a blend of Dana-Farber and MRMC faces can be seen in the unit, such as Jason Parent, RN, from the Institute's Information Systems department helping Nutting use software programs including the chemotherapy order entry system. Dana 1 nurse Kecia Boyd, RN, is also on hand, offering bedside guidance to fellow nurses as they learn to use a new type of infusion pump.
New home, same family
In addition to its light-filled, open layout, the 54,000 square-foot, two-story building has many pluses for patients and staff. MRMC's phlebotomy unit, where patients receive the frequent blood testing required in cancer care, is next door to the medical oncology unit; at MRMC, these services were on separate floors. Other advantages for nurses include an on-site pharmacy (they used to mix chemotherapy drugs themselves), and a dietitian and social worker. "Having these services will give us more time for patient care," explains MMRC Nurse Mary Beth Proulx, RN.
Patients are already seeing the differences. Last year, when Kathy Davis sought medical attention for back pain, the cause turned out to be cancer in her liver that had spread from her lung. A resident of nearby Mendon, she turned to MRMC for care. "You can't find better people," she says about her caregivers Proulx and Mona Kaddis, MD. "The staff and patients here are like family to one another."
Davis also had a tumor on her lower spine and had to be transported by ambulance from her bed at MRMC to a facility in Foxboro, 20 miles away, for daily radiation. "It's a long way to go for a two-minute treatment," she says. Now, patients like her can receive radiation therapy at the new Milford center in a unit operated by Brigham and Women's Physician Association, while MRMC provides diagnostic imaging in the new facility.
While she suspects that more treatments may lie ahead for her, Davis feels good about the new center as she glances out the window from her private chemotherapy bay at a residential neighborhood. "The name Dana-Farber means the best," she says; quickly adding, "not that I haven't already been getting the best."
Adds Proulx: "Although everything is new — such as the infusion pumps, computer systems, and the way to insert an IV — the staff and patients are the same, and that's what counts," she says. Looking forward to her partnership with Dana-Farber, she reflects, "When I visited there, I could see that the nurses and patients had the same bond we have here."
— Christine Cleary
christine_cleary@dfci.harvard.edu
