Alta Bates opens Comprehensive Cancer Center.

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 1995--Alta Bates Medical Center opened its newly constructed $15 million Comprehensive Cancer Center Thursday night.

Located at Alta Bates' Herrick Campus, the new outpatient facility is designed to offer a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic cancer services, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, pheresis, bone marrow transplantation, and outpatient surgery, as well as psychological counseling and social services.

Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremonies were hosted by KTVU-Channel 2 news people Ross McGowan and Diane Dwyer. Dignitaries participating in the ribbon cutting were Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean, Cancer Center Medical Director Michael Cassidy, MD, and Alta Bates president and chief executive officer, Albert Greene.

A major feature of the facility's design is the inclusion of on-site departments such as registration, radiology, laboratory and pharmacy, providing extra convenience to patients all in one location. Dedicated to the treatment of patients with cancer, this 43,000 square foot facility houses two fully-equipped surgical suites, a four-bed recovery room and a comprehensive patient resource center.

Made possible through a joint venture with Salick Health Care Inc., a leading provider of cancer diagnostic and treatment centers, the newly constructed facility substantially increases the availability of cancer care to the East Bay community. Capacity for cancer outpatient visits at Alta Bates will increase from 40,000 per year to over 70,000 per year.

"This new center offers some of the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment services available today," said Albert Greene, president and chief executive officer of Alta Bates. "The partnership with Salick Health Care has brought capital to fund the construction of this facility as well as access to a network of other comprehensive cancer centers throughout the country. This will give us a larger data base of information for studying clinical outcomes, innovative approaches to treatment, technological advancements and drug therapies."

Greene went on to say, "We know that incidences of certain cancers like breast and prostate cancer are more prevalent in this area than anywhere else in the world. Our new center will enable us to continue to improve and expand cancer treatment in the Bay Area."

Oncologists (physicians specializing in the treatment of cancer) at the Comprehensive Cancer Center offer a full range of treatment options, including the most current treatment protocols through national research affiliations. The Cancer Center brings together medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, pharmacists, and other professionals to provide support before, during and after treatment.

In the future, the Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center will have the capacity to provide care to cancer patients and their families 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. "Our program places a high priority on other human aspects of treatment," emphasized Cancer Center medical director Michael Cassidy, MD. "We recognize that support is as critical to a cancer patient's recovery as the highest caliber treatment."

Cassidy went on to say that, "We know the physical, emotional and medical needs of our patients are great. This Center brings together, under one roof, an interdisciplinary team of health care professionals capable of addressing all the needs of our patients."

The center recently received accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. "This accreditation is reserved for cancer programs that meet strict criteria in patient treatment, education, family support and quality assurance," Cassidy explained.

According to Bernard Salick, MD, chairman of Salick Health Care Inc., "The new center at Alta Bates is off to an excellent start with strong support from the local medical community. The addition of Alta Bates increases the number of our comprehensive cancer centers nationwide, demonstrating our continuing ability to attract the nation's premier hospitals and cancer specialists to our programs."

Alta Bates is a 517-bed acute care medical center that has served the greater East Bay for more than 85 years. Located on two campuses in Berkeley, Alta Bates is recognized regionally for care delivered in the following centers of excellence: Women and Infants, Heart and Vascular, Rehabilitation, Mental Health, and Respiratory.

The medical center also offers regional programs in High Risk Obstetrics, Burn Care, Adult Sickle Cell, Kidney and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and Hemophilia. The Center is part of Alta Bates Health Systems, which includes hospitals, long-term care facilities, home care and hospice.

Salick Health Care Inc. is a leading provider of diagnosis and treatment to patients with catastrophic illnesses requiring sophisticated long-term care, principally in the areas of cancer, kidney failure, organ transplantation and certain immunodeficiency diseases. These services are provided at alternate sites, including outpatient facilities (hospital-based and freestanding), selected inpatient sites, and patients' homes.

Salick presently operates 10 Comprehensive Cancer Centers across the U.S. as well as nine outpatient dialysis centers in Southern California. The company also provides inpatient dialysis services at 21 hospitals. Through SALICKNET Inc., a wholly owned managed care subsidiary, Salick is meeting the needs of HMOs, managed care entities, self-insured employers and other payers with a series of risk-based products including capitation and outpatient visit groups utilizing proprietary practice guidelines and outcomes analysis.

CONTACT: Alta Bates Medical Center, Berkeley

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