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To patients of the Sheila K. Riggs Radiation Oncology Center at GBMC’s Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, a major redesign is not quite news. 

For months now, construction crews have been busy, working overnight and weekends so interruptions to care are minor. The work will bring the Center into alignment with the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion. Like the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, the redesigned Center will support patient-centered multidisciplinary care. Unlike the new building, this project requires work in areas currently dedicated to patient care. 

Already, radiation oncology patients are benefiting from a new, more precise linear accelerator in an updated vault that includes design elements like those in the Berman Pavilion. When work is completed a year from now, the entire Center will be refreshed in the bright, warm colors seen there. 

Next up: a new CT Simulation/High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy (CT Sim/HDR) Suite, reimagined to provide as much comfort and dignity to patients as possible. 

Working with GBMC planners and architects from Hord Coplan & Macht, the Radiation Oncology team has created a self-contained area that co-locates a changing room, restroom, and dedicated exam room so all patient’s needs are attended to without having to travel through the department. 

“When patients come for CT simulation or brachytherapy, we will have everything we need for their treatment in one place,” says Dr. Geoffrey Neuner, who chairs the Department of Radiation Oncology. “The new suite and renovations support our mission to address the long-term expressed desires of our patients.” 

For example, patients receiving brachytherapy will be able to be sedated in the suite. Interstitial brachytherapy, where needles are placed into tissue, is a standard of care for specific situations across multiple cancer sites, including cervical, endometrial, head and neck, prostate, rectal, vaginal, and skin cancers. Brachytherapy delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to a specific area in a short period. This is achieved using a small, radioactive source placed either inside or very close to the tumor. The placement of the dose is verified using a CT scanner, which makes a CT Sim/HDR Suite a perfect partnership. In Baltimore County, only GBMC delivers this level of complexity in brachytherapy planning and delivery. 

The design for the rest of the Center includes several features intended to give patients the best possible experience. Consultation and exam rooms are now paired so patients can be in a comfortable environment to discuss a plan of care that will not only address their cancer but also meet their personal goals for managing treatment and survivorship. The consultation rooms will also be the site of meetings with other cancer care specialists from social workers to integrative wellness clinicians, so that care comes to the patient.

“This Center opened more than 40 years ago and, aside from updating treatment technology, this is the first true renovation,” Dr. Neuner says. “We’re grateful for this opportunity to create a space where we can provide the best possible care.” 

The fundraising campaign for this project and the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion is complete, but contributions will support the redesign and reconstruction of the Sheila K. Riggs Radiation Oncology Center.

Related Providers
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Robert K Brookland, MD, FACRO, FACR
Robert K Brookland, MD, FACRO, FACR

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Geoffrey A Neuner, MD
Geoffrey A Neuner, MD

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Kruti N Patel, MD
Kruti N Patel, MD

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