MILFORD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
In January 2008, residents along the Route 495 corridor and west of the interstate will have easy access to the world-renowned cancer care of Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center (DFBWCC) through a partnership created with Milford Regional Medical Center in Milford.
The New Year will introduce this collaborative effort with the opening of a $25 million, 54,000-square-foot, comprehensive cancer care facility on the Milford Regional campus. Milford Regional's reputation for quality care and location 35 miles southwest of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Longwood campus were reasons DFBWCC first expressed interest in the partnership, notes Dr. Lawrence N. Shulman, Dana- Farber's chief medical officer and senior VP for medical affairs. "This is a model of a marriage between the academic and the community. It will provide the best of both worlds to the patients of this area," he said.
The collaboration comprises Dana-Farber overseeing medical oncology; Brigham andWomen's managing radiation oncology; and Milford Regional providing diagnostic imaging (including CT, PET CT, MRI, and X-ray) and laboratory testing. Patients will benefit from the expertise of Dana-Farber medical oncologists and cancer specialists; local access to advanced chemotherapy and radiation services; participation in Dana-Farber's and Brigham and Women's clinical trials; and cancer care that follows the same stringent clinical guidelines and patient safety measures adhered to at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's. Patients will find additional support from cancer education courses, support groups, and a quiet, peaceful, beautifully landscaped place of respite called the Healing Garden.
Francis M. Saba, president and CEO of Milford Regional Healthcare System, calls the collaboration "a defining moment in the evolution of Milford Regional as we add this critical cancer treatment facility to our long-range plan for the creation of a full-service, community-based, regional health care system."
