Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Located in Greenfield, the Baystate Regional Cancer Program (BRCP) at Baystate Franklin Medical Center provides access to the most up-to-date cancer care, including national research protocols, through our medical staff and oncology specialists.
Operating primarily on an outpatient basis, our oncologists, specially-trained oncology nurses, and social workers provide both physical and psychological support from cancer patients and their families. Care includes evaluation, diagnostics (including digital mammography), therapeutic intervention, chemotherapy, cancer support groups, community-based public education programs, and counseling.
Our physicians are the same specialists you will find at the BRCP in Springfield, some of whom divide their time between the two locations. Following identical treatment protocols, they take pride in offering clear explanations and providing the best treatment options available.
Our surgical oncologist also works in conjunction with a surgical oncologist at the BRCP in Springfield. Patients who require radiation therapy can take advantage of the free round-trip courtesy shuttle to the D'Amour Center in Springfield. In addition, the same radiation oncologists are available at Franklin Medical Center one day each week to provide consultation and follow-up appointments.
For more information about the BRCP at the Baystate Franklin Medical Center, call 413-773-2251.
Baystate Mary Lane Hospital
The Baystate Regional Cancer Program (BRCP) at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware offers a home-away-from-home setting for patients with cancer and their families.
Our outpatient suite includes three exam rooms and two infusion spaces. It is decorated with framed artwork and inspirational words. Patients can registers, have their blood work done, and receive their cancer treatment, all in this one area.
Our physicians are the same top cancer specialists you will find at the BRCP in Springfield, so our patients have access to the most current cancer care, including evaluation, diagnostics (including digital mammography), therapeutic intervention, chemotherapy, cancer support groups, community-based public education programs, and counseling.
Baystate Mary Lane Hospital also offers a free courtesy shuttle for patients from the North Quabbin region who require radiation therapy at the D'Amour Center in Springfield.
For more information about the BRCP at the Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, call 413-967-2241.
SPECIALIZED SERVICES
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Hearing that anyone has cancer is difficult, but few things are as troubling as learning that your child has cancer. Parents can feel some comfort, however, in knowing that at the Sadowsky Center for Children at the D'Amour Center for Cancer Care, we are specially prepared to meet this challenge.
Children with cancer suffer from diseases that are very different from adults. They have reactions to illness and treatment that vary with their age. Our specialists are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive and compassionate treatment of childhood cancer and blood disorders. Our expertise is enhanced by affiliation with the Children's Oncology Group, a national cooperative group for clinical trials, giving patients access to a broad range of studies in which they may qualify to participate.
We treat a full range of hematology/oncology conditions, including anemias, sickle cell disease, bleeding disorders, thalassemia, thrombosis, and all types of malignancies including leukemias.
In addition, to support the need to care for the well-being of the child and family, child life specialists, family therapy, social work, neuropsychological services, nutrition counseling, home care and hospice providers are an integral part of our program.
Clincial Research and Outcome Measurement
Clinical research is a critical factor in our ability to improve care for cancer patients. Not only are new treatments discovered and validated, but patients entered into clinical trials have, as a group, been shown to experience better outcomes in terms of the management of their condition.
This is why we subscribe to the National Cancer Institute's view that, whenever possible, a patient's best cancer treatment is a clinical trial. We encourage you to discuss this option with your doctor and treatment team.
The BRCP has an active clinical research program, including affiliations with National Cancer Institute-sponsored cooperative research organizations. Also available are clinical trials of new cancer agents and novel approaches to cancer care being investigated by Baystate's own physicians.
Our research efforts do not include just prospective clinical trials. We also conduct research into our past performance through our active tumor registry. In this way, we continue to monitor our quality and ensure the best possible outcomes for future patients.
Prostate Seed Implant Program
The only program of its kind in Western Massachusetts, this program offers certain patients with prostate cancer a treatment that avoids many of the difficulties and permanent impairments associated with surgery (radial prostatectomy) and external beam radiation. Experienced urologists and radiation oncologists collaborate closely to perform the procedure, and patients return home the same day.
Adult Hematology Services
The BRCP adult hematology services provide the region's largest and most highly-regarded leukemia practice, offering therapy to people afflicted with these rare but serious disorders. Our hematology laboratory and transfusion service supports patients with the intensive therapy these diseases require. Our staff actively diagnoses and treats all types of blood disorders, including anemia, bleeding and blood clotting abnormalities, sickle cell disease, and other hemoglobinopathies.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Sterotactice radiosurgery (SRS) is a radiation therapy procedure that uses specialized equipment to position the patient with great accuracy and to precisely deliver large radiation doses to a brain tumor in a single session, while almost completely sparing nearby normal tissue.
While experienced radiation oncologists work in conjunction with neurosurgeons to perform this procedure, SRS is not surgery in the conventional sense. No surgical incision is made and no anesthesis is used; there is no risk of infection, and patients return home the same day. It is often used in addition to whole-brain radiation as part of an overall treatment plan.
Supportive Care and Hospice
A cancer diagnosis often comes with uncomfortable physical symptoms, and almost always by psychological and spiritual unease. We are fully prepared to help provide relief from these kinds of difficulties.
At the BRCP, our supportive care services engage patients with distressing symptoms and make every effort to reach out to those who may not feel confident about expressing their concerns. We provide referrals for pain control, counseling, relaxation techniques, hypnosis, and behavioral medicine as needed. Spiritual counseling and nutritional assessments and support are also available.
When curing the disease is no longer a realistic goal, we work closely with patients to maintain comfort, independence and dignity through the Baystate Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice and with other supportive care professionals. Hospice does not hasten or postpone death, but helps people live fully, prepare for death, and maintain personal control over their lives for as long as possible. Pain and symptom management are emphasized with the goal of improving the patient's quality of living during this final stage of life.
Health Information Services
If you have questions about your condition or treatment, we encourage you to talk to your treatment team. In addition, we offer several resources for you and your family. Baystate Health Link is a free physician referral service staffed by representatives who can provide information about all BRCP services and programs. Call Baystate Health Link at 413-794-BRCP (2727).
We offer community resource libraries and learning centers for you and your loved ones in the D'Amour Center for Cancer Care, in the main lobby of the Daly Building of Baystate Medical Center, at 3300 Main Street in Springfield, at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, and at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware. You are also welcome to conduct health-related reserach at our main Health Sciences Library in the Chestnut Building at Baystate Medical Center. In addition, a wealth of health information and links to pertinent websites can be found on this website.
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