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Auburn Community Hospital, in partnership with SUNY Upstate University Hospital's Upstate Cancer Center, opened its $15 million cancer center this spring. The facility, at the corner of Lansing and North streets, will provide comprehensive cancer care, according to Dr. Jared Deck, the center's lead radiation oncologist.Ìý

"What we offer is state-of-the-art radiation equipment, software, equipment for setting up patients and treatment," Deck told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» during a tour of the facility this week.

"All that could be done in Syracuse or Rochester can now be done in Auburn."

The radiation services are a critical offering at the center. Before the facility opened in Auburn, there weren't a lot of options for Cayuga County cancer patients who needed that level of treatment. They could drive to Rochester or Syracuse. To the south, radiation treatment is available in Cortland and Ithaca.Ìý

Regardless of location, local residents had to drive longer distances for radiation services. Not anymore.Ìý

"This is a good thing, especially since most radiation treatments are daily treatments over a number of weeks," Deck said.

Christina Sherman, director of cancer services at Auburn Community Hospital, added that many patients weren't seeking treatment because of the required travel. But the decision to add a cancer center in Auburn not only made sense for the patient population. It also allows Upstate Cancer Center to ease the burden on its downtown Syracuse location.Ìý

Sherman noted that after Upstate opened its cancer center, demand was high. This increased wait times for patients and the medical center began exploring satellite sites. Outside of Syracuse, Upstate has regional cancer centers in Oneida and Oswego counties.Ìý

Those sites offer the same level of care as the downtown location.Ìý

"It's not like you're coming here and getting less," Sherman said. "You're getting the same providers, the same equipment, the same medication." 

For Auburn Community Hospital, the opening of the cancer center is part of the medical center's transformation.Ìý

Scott Berlucchi, president and CEO of Auburn Community Hospital, noted the growth of the facility from a 99-bed hospital to a "comprehensive rural integrated delivery system." In addition to the cancer center, the hospital has opened the Auburn Heart Institute. A future project at the hospital will allow for more cardiac-related procedures to be performed there instead of transferring patients to Syracuse or Rochester.Ìý

The hospital's leadership, including Berlucchi, highlight the partnerships that have helped ACH expand while other rural hospitals struggle. The cancer center, he says, would not have been possible without the collaboration between Auburn and Upstate.Ìý

There are other plans, including a bone and joint center and a comprehensive center focused on women's health. With the heart institute and the future additions, Berlucchi said the goal is for patients to be able to have their medical needs addressed without needing to travel long distances.Ìý

"Cancer care is a clear illustration of our desire to bring world-class care to Auburn and Cayuga County," he said.Ìý