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Healthcare Professionals
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 Mercy’s state-of-the-art Cancer Center moves into sunny new homeIf you’ve visited Mercy Hospital lately, you likely noticed some changes—most notably a new wing on the south side of the hospital. The 4,500-square-foot addition is the new home of Mercy’s Cancer Center, where cancer specialists deliver the most sophisticated radiation therapy available in a bright, calming setting. . Long a leader in radiation therapy—and home of Chicago’s first-ever radiation department—Mercy furthers its commitment to leading-edge cancer treatment with the new Cancer Center. “This is a great leap forward for our entire cancer program,” says Abdulhamid Kanji, M.D., a radiation oncologist and medical director of Radiation Therapy. “We now have the same state-of-the-art options as the big academic health centers. Because we’re a smaller hospital, we’re able to provide more prompt and personalized care.” Targeted treatmentA centerpiece of the Cancer Center is the hospital’s new linear accelerator, a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that enables more precise and effective radiation therapy. The linear accelerator delivers a very targeted dose of external beam radiation to cancerous tumors, while minimizing exposure to surrounding tissues. It is especially effective at treating prostate, head and neck, abdominal, lung and rectal cancers. “Put simply, it allows us to give a very high dose to the bad area and a very low dose to the good area,” Dr. Kanji explains. “Because the treatment is so targeted, patients have fewer side effects and treatment times are much reduced. Physicians also have a higher control rate and that leads to higher cure rates.” Special meaning The purchase of the new equipment and construction of the new center was made possible by a generous gift from the estate of Jen-Hung Chao, M.D., a longtime Mercy physician and former director of Radiation Therapy, and a $500,000 matching grant from the Coleman Foundation. The full Coleman grant was dependent upon Mercy employees, physicians, board members and friends raising $250,000 toward the matching grant. The fact that the new center was built thanks to the generosity of current employees and Dr. Chao is especially meaningful, says Sr. Sheila Lyne, RSM, president and CEO of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. “The contribution shows that Mercy employees are truly dedicated to the mission of Mercy Hospital,” she says. “To them, this is more than just a job; it’s about delivering the best care possible to our patients.” Learn more about the Mercy Cancer program... CURRENT ISSUE OF FIRST READ MORE
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