Additional clinic space and third oncologist equal more cancer care in our region A crowd of staff, physicians, volunteers, donors and community members gathered at Belleville General Hospital (BGH) on December 12 to celebrate an expansion of cancer care in our region. The Dr. Douglas A. MacIntosh Cancer Clinic expanded to include 3,800 square feet of space in the Sills Wing at BGH. While the original clinic space on Hastings Level 3 is the centre for chemotherapy treatments, the extension to Sills 4 provides additional space for patient consultation, education and assessment.
Top: Dr. Roger Levesque, Medical Oncologist; Dr. Julie Bryson, Chief/Medical Director of Family Medicine; Dr. Negar Chooback, Medical Oncologist; Dr. Douglas A. MacIntosh, Founding (now retired) Medical Oncologist and namesake of the clinic; and Dr. Janarthanan Kankesan, Medical Oncologist.
“The number of patient visits to our oncology clinic has been steadily increasing each year,” said President and CEO Mary Clare Egberts. “While I wish we didn’t need to expand cancer care—the reality is—it’s needed. We are fortunate to have the physician and staff expertise and the volunteer support.”
“The intention is to bring cancer care close to home, to make it accessible for patients and prevent distance from being an obstacle to care,” said Dr. Roger Levesque, Medical Oncologist. He explained that in 2016, more than half of 4,500 chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments given to more than 700 Quinte residents were administered outside of the area. He added that only half of 1,300 consultations in 2016 were done in Quinte. The extra space, along with the addition of a third medical oncologist – Dr. Negar Chooback – will allow QHC to care for more cancer patients, closer to home. During the event, special guest — former cancer patient Bob Leonard, shared stories about his treatment at QHC and offered his gratitude to every physician, nurse, pharmacist, technician and volunteer who played a role in his care. “I thank you all. I thank you all for my life.” Watch a 2.5 min video featuring cancer survivors Bob Leonard and Margie Burness.