Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Introduces New Cancer Center

Story by Heidi Shoemaker; Photos By Sue Kirschbaum

Tomorrow will mark the grand opening of the Shady Grove Adventist Aquillino Cancer Center in Gaithersburg, Md. The center, the first of its kind in Montgomery County, offers personalized, expert care, with up-to-date technology and support services to treat various forms of cancer in one location.
 
“At Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, we recognize the difficult journey that cancer patients and their families go through,” says Jane Peck, executive director of cancer care services at Adventist HealthCare. “By offering all of these services in one convenient location, patients and families will be able to spend more time together instead of traveling from appointment to appointment.”
 
The 50,000-square-foot, three-story building provides clinical and support services including:
• Physician offices
• Chemotherapy and infusion
• Radiation therapy
• Pain and symptom management
• Cancer Navigation Team, which includes nurse navigators, an oncology dietitian and a social worker
• Clinical research
• Education and resource area
• Support groups
• Rehabilitation
• Nutrition counseling
• Complementary alternative medicine
• Fitness activities
 
“We are excited to be bringing these comprehensive cancer care services to Montgomery County,” says William G. “Bill” Robertson, president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “The Aquilino Cancer Center helps us continue the mission of Adventist HealthCare, which is to provide a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.”
 
The Center was made possible through a generous donation from county resident Michael Aquilino, whose wife passed away from cancer in 2004, as well as numerous other contributions from physicians, employees and the community.
 
As part of the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center and the Great Seneca Science Corridor in Rockville/Gaithersburg, physicians at the Aquilino Cancer Center are able to closely collaborate with local and national research organizations, offering patients an opportunity to participate in clinical trials and research projects.
 
Many of the cancer services that were already offered on The Adventist HealthCare Rockville Campus are now located in the Aquilino Cancer Center including Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital's lymphedema therapy program.
 
In addition, The Adventist HealthCare Rockville Campus continues to provide screenings, educational programs and special services to the community aimed at the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
 
For more information on the Aquilino Cancer Center or cancer care services at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, visit YourCancerTeam.com.