Kings County Hospital receives $3.5 million to expand cancer care

Kings County Hospital Center (KCHC), a New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation facility, has received $3.5 million from City Councilmembers Mathieu Eugene and Darlene Mealy, on behalf of the City Council Brooklyn delegation, to purchase a new linear accelerator to provide radiation therapy to hundreds of patients served by the KCHC Cancer Care Center.

The $3.5 million check was presented at the hospital’s Annual Legislative Breakfast to George Proctor, North & Central Brooklyn Health Network senior vice president; Roslyn Weinstein, acting executive director of Kings County; and John Jurenko, senior assistant vice president, HHC Intergovernmental Relations.

“The addition of the new linear accelerator further enhances our commitment to provide comprehensive cancer prevention, detection and treatment to the residents of Central Brooklyn,” said Proctor.

“Kings County Hospital deserves to have the best technology to fight deadly cancers and other diseases. The acquisition of a linear accelerator will enable doctors, nurses and medical professionals at Kings County Hospital to deliver the highest standards of cancer treatment to the community,” said Eugene.

A linear accelerator is used to treat cancer by delivering radiation to the region of the patient’s tumor. The treatment can be designed in such a way that it destroys the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.

The new machine will be used to accommodate the growing number of cancer patients who are coming to KCHC for treatment and support services. There are more than 600 new cancer cases diagnosed at KCHC every year.

The hospital’s Cancer Care Center, which opened in 2010, provides comprehensive, one-stop services including oncology, chemotherapy, surgery, medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, social services and psycho-social support. The new linear accelerator will provide 200 additional cancer patients with more precise and advanced radiation treatment modalities. It will be one of two linear accelerators used at the cancer center.

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