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BEAM SIGNING, INSTALLATION, AND PROGRESS AT THE NEW JOHN H. 'JACK' BURBAGE, JR. REGIONAL CANCER CARE CENTER

Berlin, Md. – On Thursday, October 26th, the last beam to be installed in the new John H. “Jack” Burbage, Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center was signed. On-site to sign the beam was CEO and President of Atlantic General Hospital, Michael Franklin, Board Chair, Hugh Cropper, IV, Campaign for the Future Co-Chair and campaign Life Visionary, Jack Burbage, Jr., providers Dr. Rabindra Paul and Dr. Roopa Gupta, and staff from AGH’s Regional Cancer Care Center.

In Maryland and Delaware, the cancer rate is higher than the U.S. average. Additionally, Community Needs surveys conducted in our region demonstrates that cancer treatment is considered one of the most critically important health needs today. This new dedicated cancer care facility conveniently located on Atlantic General hospital’s campus, right here in our community, will allow patients and their families easy, local access to a broader range of services than ever before.

The Regional Cancer Care Center will combine personalized care and advanced technology, enabling patients to move smoothly through the various steps of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The center will offer comprehensive, wide-ranging services on one campus including medical oncology/chemotherapy, radiation oncology, advanced laparoscopic surgery, interventional radiology and advanced minimally-invasive surgery such as cystoscopy services, advanced laparoscopic surgery and advanced women’s GYN surgery. Diagnostic services such as

PET scans, CT, MRI, mammography, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine along with lab and pathology services and an advanced breast diagnostic center including stereotactic needle biopsy, along with colonoscopies and stomach/esophageal endoscopies are available as well. Also provided will be cancer prevention, education and support for patients and caregivers such as palliative care, pastoral care, patient navigation, pharmacy / medical counseling, rehabilitation services health screenings, education and outreach support groups and services for the entire community.

In addition to those many services, the new center will enhance the direct telemedicine relationship the hospital currently has with the University of Maryland Medical Center. Through this relationship residents of the lower Eastern Shore who may require advanced lung surgery, including those with diagnosed or suspected cancers, are now able to meet with leading experts in thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore without leaving the Shore. By video teleconferencing, UMMC thoracic surgeons virtually consult with a patient at AGH and review scans and other tests to determine if he or she is a surgical candidate. The entire work-up and pre-operative consultation is done here at AGH’s campus. If a surgical procedure is needed, it will be performed at UMMC, home to the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with post-surgical care conveniently provided back at AGH.

The new 18,000 sq. ft. center began undergoing construction in June, 2017. The center is expected to reach completion in the spring of 2018.

About Atlantic General Hospital

Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) counties since May 1993. Built through the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, Atlantic General’s main facility in Berlin, Md., combines the warmth of personalized attention with the reassurance of medical expertise and advanced technology. The not-for-profit hospital provides quality specialty care in oncology, medical and surgical weight loss, orthopedics, and women’s diagnostics among other services. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 40 primary care providers and specialists, cares for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org.

Caption Photo 1: From left: Michael Franklin, president and CEO Atlantic General Hospital; Hugh Cropper, IV., Board of Trustees Chairman; Jack Burbage, Jr., Campaign for the Future Co-Chair; Roopa Gupta, M.D. and Rabindra Paul, M.D.

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