MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Introduces New $10 Million Cancer Center Leading In Global Technology And Customer-Based Care Practices

By Kia Lisby with additional reporting by Raoul Dennis

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

“We can give residents of Southern Maryland unique access to all the important elements of high-quality cancer care under one roof, close to home and work,” said Dr. Eric Rubenstein, Medical Director of the new MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. “We’re excited to offer these new life-saving technologies, along with the compassionate care our community deserves when facing a difficult cancer diagnosis.”

The MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center hosted a grand opening of the facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 27 followed by tours of the amazing state-of-the-art center.

MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center President and Senior VP, MedStar Health Christine Wray. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

The nearly $10 million center is a game-changer that will touch nearly 1,000 families in its first year of operation. For patients in year one, MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center “will see about 50 patients/day which translates to between 10,000-15,000 visits,” Linda Rogers, Vice President, Cancer Service Line for Maryland MedStar Hospitals says. “These are patients with multiple visits so total patients would be roughly about 750-1,000 per year.” As part of MedStar Health’s network, the new center joins a fairly exclusive family of just seven similar facilities.

“There are a total of seven entities that are part of the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute, which combines medical expertise, the latest therapies, and research across MedStar Health. Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center – the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Washington, DC, region – is our research engine, which ensures that patients have access to clinical trials examining the most advanced treatments available,” reports Rogers.

The center brings powerhouse, industry-leading technology in the form of Zap-X, the world’s first vault-free image-guided radiosurgery system. There are only three Zap-X systems in the world.

Dr. Eric Rubenstein, Medical Director of the new MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center

The grand opening of the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center began with a welcome and introduction from MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center President and Senior VP, MedStar Health Christine Wray. Healthcare professionals and county representatives were in attendance such as Dr. Eric Rubenstein, Dr. Andrew Satinsky (Director, Radiation Oncology), District Director for Congressman Steny Hoyer Terrance Taylor and nearly 120 Maryland and regional VIPs, physicians, business leaders and Medstar Health staff.

Dr. Louis M. Weiner, Director, MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute and Director, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

“Cancer diagnosis is life-changing,” says President Wray. “The journey through treatment can be long and difficult. That’s why it’s vitally important to have a world-class cancer center here in Southern Maryland. Our residents deserve the best possible care and they shouldn’t have to go very far to get there.”

Dr. Louis M. Weiner, Director, MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute and Director, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center discussed the long journey in the reduction of cancer fatalities since the 1970s. He explained that there is a critical need to get the care closer to communities and not just in the cities nearby.

“There are only 51 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers delivering this care against 300 million people who need the care,” Weiner says of the challenge in the fight to combat cancer. “It can’t happen if you’re not in the community.”

Not only did the MedStar Health leaders introduce the new $10 million facility, they included current and former patients. Some of the patients provided heartfelt testimonies of their experiences through the chemotherapy process.

The Rowe family was among them.

“September 2019, I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer,” explained Bruce Rowe, a resident of southern Maryland who spoke with a gentle but determined voice. Rowe talked about the rigors of the treatment but consistently elevated his voice when discussing the care he received.

“I went through seven-week course of radiation chemotherapy,” Rowe says as he discussed how nice the waiting room was and state-of-the-art equipment but continued to reinforce that the most important aspect to him was “the people and the way they treated everybody” when referring to the hospital staff.

“The building is nothing without the people who occupy it,” he said.

The Malcolm family also shared their sense of hope after initially getting tragic news—and at a time they would ordinarily be celebrating.

“In September 2019, at 37, I was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer,” said Nomoya Malcolm, a mother of four who shared her story with attendees. As Malcolm spoke, there was scarcely a dry eye in the crowd.

“My husband and I came in on September 5, the day before our 10th wedding anniversary to hear the results of my biopsy. After much praying, crying, researching, and talking to friends and strangers who have been through this, I prayed a very specific prayer. I asked ‘God, is this the best place for me?’” said Malcolm.

The answer to her prayers was revealed through the cancer care team. As she concluded, fighting back her own tears as her voice choked with emotion, Malcolm looked across the room at Dr. Rubenstein and said: “God sent you here just for me. With God’s help we got through twelve rounds of chemo with no interruptions or pause.”

The Importance Of Support

The connection between both patients were their support systems.

Nomoya Malcolm, full-time stay at home mother of four children, three girls and a boy, ranging from soon to be three-year-old twins, 6 and 9-year-old, was strongly supported by her husband Aundre Malcolm. When Nomoya’s journey started at MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, the new center was not there yet. She was a few floors above it and described as “lacking in what it looked like.” Though it wasn’t what she anticipated, her faith in God and prayers helped her through. She explained how she “could have went to Georgetown, Washington Hospital Center, [John] Hopkins,” as her husband quickly chimed in, but it “would have depleted my quality of life because I’m only twenty minutes from this location.”

“We were a team,” said Betty Rowe, wife of Bruce Rowe. Together for twenty-seven years and married twenty-two, Betty had been Bruce’s key support throughout his treatment. She explained, “Dr. Rubenstein said, the best patient that [Bruce had been], was due to the encouragement [he got from me], and I took care of him all the time.”

“In my days having to travel would have created a real hardship for my wife and me to get the care that I needed for that kind of cancer that I had,” Bruce said.

The convenience of the MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center location allowed for Bruce and Betty’s commute to be an “easy drive over each day,” he said. When asked about receiving initial treatment Bruce responded “honestly, I think I somewhat underestimated it when I first started the treatment and it kind of got the best of me starting out. But over time I adjusted and learned what to eat, what to do and how to do it, and that made everything a lot better.”

Though their journeys were different, the constant between both families included their praise of their doctors and care center team. Nomoya Malcolm said “I prayed and I had faith in the doctors who were taking care of me, and I really got confirmation based on how they cared for me, and their exceptional compassion that really motivated me to stay put.”

The center is more than just chemotherapy and recovery.

Bruce Rowe said, “I came to the cancer center as a patient and left as family.” This goes to show that family is more than a bloodline.

“It’s family, everybody joins together in support, says Nurse Chris Van Vliet. “They minister to us and we minister to them and it’s just really amazing. Everybody is really happy here,” she says of the staff and its relationship to the patients. “We laugh all day long. We have a great time. We eat, we cry, we pray, we sing, we do whatever it takes. It’s truly a family.”

As a member of the infusion staff, Van Vliet helps patients in any and every way possible. Patients come in anxious and scared but she and all the infusion staff work to ease, educate and support patients to reassure that everything is going to be OK. The staff believes in the vision and the opportunities that the doctors and the facility bring.

“This is the best environment that I have worked in,” Van Vliet says. The veteran nurse says that the flexibility of the center’s approach to procedure and problem solving make it a favorite work experience for her. “We are nimble,” she says. “If something doesn’t work, we throw it out. And we keep working it through until we settle on what does work. Even them, we keep looking for ways to improve on it.”

Nurse Manager Jane Milliner was so hooked on Dr. Rubenstein’s vision that she moved from Arizona to work at this facility in Clinton, Maryland.

New Global Technology

Like a scene from Star Trek, the cancer center at Medstar Southern Maryland Center opened doors to technology that goes where no one has gone before. Literally.

The tours of the center included the new imaging suite with 3D mammography and the latest in ultrasound technology, an infusion center for chemotherapy, Halcyon system offering faster, more comfortable and more accurate radiation treatments, and a preview of Zap-X.

Zap-X is the first vault-free image-guided radiosurgery system available on the east coast of the United States. It treats brain tumors and cancers of the head and neck with pinpoint accuracy without surgery and is proven to be a more effective alternative, in some cases, to invasive surgery.

“There are only three of these devices in the world right now,” said MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Director of Brain Radiosurgery Brian Collins.

Zap-X allows the technician to stay in the room while the patient is receiving treatment. They can communicate directly with the patient by observing their body language and speaking to them through a built-in audio and visual system that connects to a computer monitor. Patients can take a break during treatment and then continue where they left off in their session. Treatment can range from thirty minutes to a couple of hours.

Another radiation therapy system is Varian. Varian provides radiation treatment as well but caters to the whole body. It’s quick and effective. Time slots for scheduling range from ten to fifteen minutes and takes about two to three minutes for treatment. This system gets patients in and out so quickly they even have an option to go to work after treatment, continue their day as planned.

MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center is not only a place for cancer treatment but a place with heart for the patients they serve and a vision to combat the disease.

“We want to work as a team and as a network and put the patients’ need in the center of those priorities,” says Dr. Rubenstein.

“My vision includes looking at curing cancer and preventing cancer in a way that is mindful and sustainable. And to bring treatment to the people instead of people coming to the treatment,” he says.