FAIRHAVEN, Mass. — Southcoast Health System today announced it will host a public open house for its new Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fairhaven on Saturday, April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. The new Cancer Center is located at 206 Mill Road.

            The nearly completed state-of-the-art 56,000-square-foot Southcoast Center for Cancer Care is two stories high and was designed in a retreat-like setting to support the medical, emotional and social needs of its patients.

            The spring open house offers the public a chance to tour the new facility, meet the physicians and caregivers and learn more about the extensive services that will be offered when the Center opens this summer.

            Visitors who complete the tour can also enter for the chance to win a free Apple iPad 2, receive free health information and enjoy refreshments.

Highlights of the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care’s new Fairhaven flagship facility include the very latest technology in radiation therapy and medical oncology, spacious areas for chemotherapy, a dedicated Patient Navigator, advanced imaging including PET/CT, social work, nutrition, physical therapy and pharmacy services, fully electronic health records, multidisciplinary treatment planning conferences and many “green” elements.

The Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fairhaven will be the only comprehensive provider of oncology services from Fairhaven to the Cape and is conveniently located off I-195 with plenty of free parking.

Background on the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care

The Fall River site of the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care opened in July 2009 and is located in the Mitchell Building on the campus of Charlton Memorial Hospital. The Cancer Center offers patients the latest in cancer treatments and technology, including radiation therapies such as IGRT, IMRT and PET/CT on the first floor and comprehensive medical oncology services in the newly renovated Jarabek Diagnostic & Treatment Center on the second floor.

In addition to the Fall River location, Southcoast operates a medical oncology facility at 480 Hawthorn Street in Dartmouth, Mass. The Dartmouth site will move to Fairhaven once it is open.

The care delivered at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care is complimented by an outstanding cancer team, which includes dedicated medical and radiation oncologists and staff who have been treating cancer patients at Southcoast for decades — and new staff who include top-tier clinicians with a wealth of experience from some of the major academic cancer centers around the country.

Therese Mulvey, MD, Medical Oncologist and Physician-in-Chief for the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care, leads the team which includes Elizabeth Blanchard, MD, Medical Oncologist; Patrick J. Gagnon, MD, Radiation Oncologist; Tushar Kumar, MD, Radiation Oncologist: Harry Matelski, MD, Medical Oncologist; Todd F. Roberts, MD, MSc, Medical Oncologist, and Mark Shparber, MD, Medical Oncologist.

The estimated cost for both the new Fairhaven and Fall River cancer centers is about $60 million. The Fairhaven building project created some 250 temporary construction jobs over the life of the project. The center will employ about 55 staff, of which about 40 will be permanent new clinical and support jobs.

About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group

Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services.

More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.  Connect to Southcoast at www.southcoast.org/connect/