Northwell opens $52M cancer center in Queens | Long Island Business News

Listen to this article

Northwell Health, with headquarters in New Hyde Park, has opened a $52 million, 70,000-square-foot facility cancer center in Queens.

Northwell Health at Rego Park will house Northwell Health Labs, Vivo Health Pharmacy, Rego Park Imaging and STARS rehabilitation. It will also include specialists in bariatrics and weight management, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general pediatrics, general surgery, hepatology, HIV, internal medicine, maternal fetal, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonary, rheumatology, urology, vascular and wound care.

Within the building is Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Rego Park, a separate two-story center, which will offer oncology care as well as supportive and ancillary services such as nutrition, social work, nurse navigation, survivorship and genetic counseling, in addition to access to clinical trials.

With this new center, the health system aims to expand access to care for Queens residents. The center is in close proximity to Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital. And both Northwell’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset draw about 40% of their patient population from Queens, according to a spokesman.

“Northwell has long been dedicated to serving the diverse population in Queens through our hospitals and by offering an array of specialty services, including bringing highly regarded transplant and cardiac programs closer to home,” Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell, said in a written statement.

“Now we’re proud to extend Northwell’s world class cancer care to this vibrant multicultural community because cancer spares no ethnic group, it knows no bounds – and neither do our medical experts when it comes to treating this pervasive and deadly disease,” he added.

The Cancer Institute offers access to specialists in breast surgery, colorectal surgery, gynecologic oncology, head and neck surgery, surgical oncology, thoracic surgery, urology, medical oncology and hematology. The center includes an infusion center with 42 private treatment areas and a host of medical and surgical oncology suites and exam rooms. Oncologists and cancer surgeons work together as a team to deliver coordinated, personalized care for all types of cancer, including breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, urologic cancers, lung cancers, head and neck cancers and gynecologic cancers.

In the same building, patients can also access medical specialists to help with any side effects from treatment, advanced diagnostic and screening imaging services to serve the needs of both cancer patients and other patients, clinical trials, nurse navigation and support services.

Queens Medical Associates, a member of Northwell Health, is moving its longstanding Fresh Meadows-based hematology and oncology practice to Rego Park. QMA also will maintain practices in other Queens neighborhoods.

“We’re excited to open a new outpatient cancer center in the heart of Queens to deliver the best cancer care close to where people live,” Dr. Richard Barakat, executive director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, said in a statement.

“Northwell is uniquely positioned to care for patients in Queens – one of the most diverse places in the country,” he added. “To meet the needs of our patients, we have cancer experts and other healthcare professionals who speak numerous languages and are culturally sensitive to the populations we serve. Also, to remove any barrier to care, the center has translated medical forms, brochures and other communications into several languages.”

The health system said it committed to communicating with patients in their first languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Hindi and Bengali.

“The expansion at Rego Park is a major commitment to better support central Queens and align with the outstanding care already being offered at LIJ Forest Hills,” Dr. John D’Angelo, senior vice president and regional executive director of Northwell’s Central region, said in a written statement.

“We have a long history of service to Queens and we’re doubling down at Rego Park by adding more of what’s in demand, from OB/GYN coverage to neurology and advanced imaging services,” D’Angelo added.