Dana-Farber's satellite clinic opens in Londonderry, NH

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The Dec. 8 opening of Dana-Farber's third satellite clinic, in the southern New Hampshire town of Londonderry, brings Dana-Farber's brand of patient care and research to an area where the Institute's roots already run deep.

For more than 25 years, New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology (NHOH), a physicians' group that provides adult cancer care at five community hospitals, has been affiliated with Dana-Farber for clinical trials and physician consultations.

Now the new Londonderry clinic, dubbed Dana-Farber/New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology (DF/NHOH), will combine the close-to-home benefits of a community oncology practice with the advanced treatment and research capabilities of Dana-Farber.

The clinic — 45 miles north of Dana-Farber's main campus on Binney Street in Boston — occupies a brand-new, nearly 25,000-square-foot building on the campus of an outpatient medical center operated by Elliot Hospital.

It incorporates Dana-Farber's philosophy of treating the "whole patient," with medical care complemented by support services. Plans are underway to offer genetic screening and counseling, nutrition counseling, a survivorship program, integrative therapies, a resource room for patients and families, pain and palliative care services, and pastoral care.

"It is a privilege to partner with NHOH. The combination of first-rate oncology care and the resources of Dana-Farber provides a unique care environment for patients in southern New Hampshire," says Lawrence Shulman, MD, Dana-Farber's chief medical officer, who helped oversee the project.

"It will enable many patients to receive care near their home and smooth the way for the transfer of care to Dana-Farber's Longwood Campus when appropriate."

The decision to partner with NHOH grew out of a natural progression in Dana-Farber's relationship with the New Hampshire group, says Elizabeth Liebow, vice president for Clinical Business Development here.

Initially a "research affiliate" of Dana-Farber in a limited number of clinical studies, NHOH signed a formal affiliation agreement with Dana-Farber in 2005, committing the two organizations to expand their relationship and increase the availability of clinical trials for New Hampshire residents.

"NHOH sees about a third of all cancer patients in the state," Liebow remarks. "Its physicians and care team are highly respected and have worked closely with ours. Its vision for comprehensive community-based care is a good match with our own."

Southern New Hampshire is an ideal location for a facility that delivers Dana-Farber-quality care, she says. "A thousand patients a year come to Dana-Farber from within a 25-mile radius of Londonderry."

Planning for the new facility was conducted with extensive input from patients, staff, and clinicians, both at Dana-Farber and NHOH.

The task of getting the clinic on its feet — interviewing candidates for staff positions, working with Marketing to get the word out on the clinic's opening, developing procedures for admissions, and more — is led by Lise Mendham, director of operations for the Londonderry project. Officials estimate that 500 new patients will be treated at the clinic in its first year of operation, and 900 new patients a year after that.

"One of the challenges in creating the clinic was melding the cultures of a community-based practice with that of a larger academic cancer center," says Fred Briccetti, MD, one of four oncologists who are transferring from other NHOH locations and is serving as medical director.

In his 14 years at NHOH, Briccetti has worked with Dana-Farber physicians on numerous clinical trials, consultations, and referrals.

"Our commitment to involving patients in decision making is the same," he says. "That's what makes this a good fit."


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