The following was published by the Portsmouth Herald at seacoastonline.com on March 31, 2021:
EXETER – Exeter Hospital held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, March 25 for a new renovation and expansion project at its Center for Cancer Care.
Currently, the radiation oncology and medical oncology services are physically separated, and the addition of 7,000 new square feet will create a more cohesive space to join them together. The renovations will increase the number of infusion bays while enhancing the patient experience, providing larger, more modern, and comfortable treatment areas with views to outdoor gardens.
Additional space will also be created for the Center’s renowned Multidisciplinary Clinics. The Clinics streamline the evaluation and planning process when a patient is diagnosed with cancer by pulling together a team of experts specialized in a specific cancer type to meet with the patient and their family in one day. The team includes medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, a patient navigator, dietician, social worker and physical therapist. The expansion will create a larger space for Multidisciplinary Clinics to be held for breast, thoracic/lung, gastrointestinal, head and neck, and prostate/genitourinary cancers.
“This renovation and expansion will align our physical site with the excellent quality of the care we have been providing for decades,” said Eileen McDonald, director of the Center for Cancer Care. “Our relationship with the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center brings oncologists and nurse practitioners to work here onsite along with our outstanding team of nurses, staff and specialists throughout Exeter Hospital and Core Physicians. We are thrilled to begin this project which will offer a larger, more comfortable and efficient space for our patients.”
The ‘Together We Can’ capital campaign, to support the expansion and renovation of the Center will open to the public late next summer. To date more than one million dollars has been donated during the quiet phase of leadership giving, including naming donations from The Bauman Family Foundation and Newburyport Bank.
“Our community has demonstrated we are worthy of their philanthropic investment, and we are so grateful for their support,” said Dan Raposa, director of advancement for Exeter Health Resources.