The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network has expanded to 29 hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with the recent addition of Hackettstown Community Hospital.
An agreement signed in late December promises University Health System resources and services in building a new $6 million cancer center at Hackettstown Community Hospital in northern New Jersey.
The Abramson Cancer Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- one of the nation's premier cancer centers and the core of the University Cancer Network -- will also provide support and expertise to improve the existing program at Hackettstown.
"This relationship with the Abramson Cancer Center is of great benefit to our hospital and to our entire community," Hackettstown President and CEO Gene Milton said in a press release.
Priorities include continuing education and outreach programs as well as access to clinical trials and specialty cancer care services at Penn.
"We work with select hospitals in the community ... on everything from clinical research to community education programs," said Jeanne Rogers, administrative director of the University Cancer Network.
"We try to create as seamless a system of patient care as possible" in enhancing on-site facilities and coordinating specialty off-campus services through the Health System, she added.
The new cancer center -- designed with the help of Abramson officials and scheduled for completion in summer 2005 -- will include a state-of-the-art radiation oncology department with digital mammography, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Patients will be referred to HUP for some specialized procedures like bone marrow transplants.
Abramson will provide Hackettstown Community Hospital with access to more than 200 clinical trials available through the Penn network. It also conducts conferences for health care professionals working in network hospitals on new developments in oncology.
Hackettstown is a community hospital that serves more than 11,000 residents.
The Abramson Cancer Center was established in 1973 and currently employs 275 active researchers and 250 Penn physicians working on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
The University Cancer Network was formed in 1991 to improve cancer care and bring together doctors in consultation across the region.
Penn gains publicity and referrals through the University Cancer Network. Patients at member hospitals requiring specialty care are automatically referred to HUP for treatment.
"We gain exposure in communities where we might not have as high a recognition," Rogers said.
