Care for the community: AGH breaks ground on cancer center
The medical field and the treatment of cancer has changed dramatically since Michael Franklin began his healthcare career in 1984.
Treatment was only successful about half the time back then, said the president of Atlantic General Hospital, and the difficulties in receiving care were great.
"Back then, people traveled for miles to receive treatment, and I heard numerous stories about the difficulties with side effects while driving to and from treatment,” he said. “As cancer treatment techniques and medicines have improved, availability of cancer care in community settings has become more and more common.”
Because of those improvements, he said, two out of every three Americans diagnosed with cancer are now cured.
And now, those seeking treatment on Delmarva will have another option soon as Atlantic General officials and doctors celebrated the groundbreaking for the John H. “Jack” Burbage, Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center on Wednesday.
The center will be a single floor, 18,000 square foot facility located at the intersection of Route 113 and Old Ocean City Blvd. in front of the Berlin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
The new center will host a number of treatment and care services, including radiation oncology physicians and treatment, PET scanning, hair and skin care support, community education and support groups, as well as telemedicine — a form of medical consulting where a physician meets with a patient remotely, often via video chat.
The cost of construction for the new facility is $9.51 million, according to a hospital spokesperson. Construction is set for completion in early 2018.
The need
Franklin said that the motivation to erect a cancer care center was born of the unique needs of the surrounding community.
“We have a community where we have a higher proportion of people over the age of 65 than any other community in Maryland and southeastern Delaware,” Franklin said. “That’s the highest risk group for cancer.”
The death rate from cancer is still 10 percent higher in Worcester than it is in the rest of the country, he said.
That same region has about 700 to 750 new cancer diagnoses every year, he said, making the various forms of the disease a top health concern for area residents.
The Burbage Regional Cancer Center joins PRMC's cancer centers in Salisbury and soon-to-be center in Ocean Pines, along with Beebe's Tunnell Cancer Center in Rehoboth Beach.
“Until now, the lack of availability of convenient, quality care in our community has led to unnecessary costs and unnecessary suffering for members of our family, for our friends and for our neighbors,” Franklin said at the ceremony.
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According to the most recent reports from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the cancer-incidence rate for Marylanders was 432 cases for every 100,000 residents, and the state is ranked 29th highest among all states and the District of Columbia in total cancer mortality.
Wicomico and Worcester county cancer rates were higher than the state average with 481 and 462 incidents per 100,000 residents, respectively.
Dr. Roopa Gupta is a doctor of oncology and hematology, and a physician with the hospital. She said simply having a cancer center in close proximity to those most at risk can be the deciding factor in them getting treatment.
“Cancer diagnosis causes significant physical, emotional and financial impact — to the patient and their families alike — and it’s a long-term disease that involves multiple disciplines,” she said. “Multiple tests, multiple diagnostics and multiple doctors take a toll on a patient, so having something close by can bring people into treatment that might be discouraged by having to travel long distances.”
“Very few as generous”
Jack Burbage, the center’s namesake, is a resident of Berlin, CEO of Blue Water Development Company, and former chair and current member of the hospital board of trustees since 2007.
He has also been “a driving force in philanthropic efforts for the AGH Foundation,” according to his profile on the hospital website.
Lou Taylor, chair of the hospital board of trustees, spoke highly of Burbage, who he called his “mentor” and “friend.”
“There are very few as generous or as giving as this man,” Taylor said. “He wears his heart on his sleeve, he helps others, he often calls many of us in this community to see what he can do for those who are in need. I’ve experienced that firsthand in my profession with Jack.”
Burbage, after expressing his thanks for the honor of having his name attached to the care center, praised the hospital.
“The way healthcare services are delivered is changing, but Atlantic General’s commitment to state-of-the-art medicine is only growing stronger,” he said.