Claxton-Hepburn

CHMC Foundation 2013 Memorials and Tributes 7 "The community trusts us with their health care on a daily basis, so it's important we make the best care available to them and their loved ones. We can work together to make this fundraising goal a reality." —Linda Fay, co-chair of the Cancer Fundraising Project We take your health personally. L I V I N G W E L L Growing Cancer Care in the North Country Twenty years ago, North Country residents were burdened with traveling to Syracuse or Burlington for cancer treatment. Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center took a huge step forward in 1994, opening the Richard E. Winter Cancer Treatment Center. Since then, we've never looked back in terms of finding ways to bring the best services closer to home. during the past 20 years, the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center has worked passionately to offer specialized oncology services to the North Country, including: • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy • Satellite medical cancer clinic conveniently located in Canton • Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy TAKING ANOTHER STEP FORWARD Stereotactic radiotherapy is the latest cancer treatment option available, allowing small or moderate-size tumors to be treated with radiation in very few sessions, or in some cases, just one session. This spring, a new Varian Trilogy TM linear accelerator will allow Claxton-Hepburn to provide these services (see page 1 article). "Our goal is to offer the highest-quality oncology treatment options to residents," says Cynthia Clusen, MBA, executive director of the CHMC Foundation. "Having stereotactic radiotherapy options available here at Claxton-Hepburn means patients with brain and lung cancers can receive their care without extra travel or worries. It also means that some patients will have a much shorter course of radiation treatment, because higher doses of radiation are delivered without affecting the surrounding tissues." To accommodate this new piece of technology, a $4.7 million construction project is currently underway at the Cancer Center, and a second bunker will need to be built. "Raising the money for this expansion will take time and hard work," says James Chadwick, co-chair of the Cancer Fundraising Project. "We are so appreciative of the efforts the community has made in the past to help us meet our goals, and we hope they will rise to the challenge with us once more." The Cancer Fundraising Project will be the rst phase in a series of capital projects. "The availability of the Varian Trilogy linear accelerator for oncology treatments allows patients to have access to leading-edge care without leaving St. Lawrence County," says John Gebert, MD, radiation oncologist at Claxton-Hepburn. "This will help improve outcomes while keeping patient's comfort in mind." Want to be part of this important journey? To help support the CHMC Foundation, visit www.claxtonhepburn.org, and click the "Foundation" tab at the top of the page or call (315) 393-9175 to speak with Cynthia Clusen, executive director of the CHMC Foundation.

• Cover