Upon entering the Center, a large stained glass window with a beautiful angel greets each patient and their families and color and light is used to help create a balance between mind, body, spirit and technology.

The Center offers Western Mass. residents the latest radiotherapy and treatment options available to help cancer patients receive the best possible outcome without having to travel outside the region. By adding some of the most advanced radiation treatment and diagnostic technology available, the Sr. Caritas Cancer Center has raised the level of care we provide to our cancer patients.

Some of the powerful, new technology we have to offer includes: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), two linear accelerators, Oncology CT Scanner and ADAC Treatment Planning System.

Radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, oncology nurses, secretaries, cancer registrars and volunteers staff the Center. Supportive services are provided and include patient care coordination, social work, nutritional counseling and pastoral care. Our technology treats the disease while our staff heals the patient. Located adjacent to the Diagnostic Imaging Department, a separate entrance and reserved patient parking are provided. Our combined effort for prevention, detection and treatment utilize the highest level of technology that is only surpassed by our level of compassionate caring. Hours are scheduled to provide the best possible times to meet our patients' needs. Emergency services are provided 24 hours a day.

Mercy Medical Center’s Sr. Caritas Cancer Center’s Cancer Program is approved by the Commission of Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. CoC Accreditation challenges cancer programs to enhane the care they provide by addressing patient-centered needs and measuring the quality of the care they deliver against national standards.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922, the multidisciplinary Commission on Cancer sets standards for quality multidisciplinary cancer care delivered primarily in hospital settings; surveys hospitals to assess compliance with those standards; collects standardized and quality data from approved hospitals to measure treatment patterns and outcomes; and uses the data to evaluate hospital provider performance and develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national and local level.

CoC approval is given only to those institutions voluntarily committed to providing the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. CoC-approved institutions must undergo an initial evaluation process, survey of their performance and, to maintain approval, will have an on-site review every three years.

The Commission on Cancer Approvals Program encourages hospitals, treatment centers and other facilities to improve their quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs.

These programs are concerned with:

• Prevention
• Early diagnosis
• Pretreatment evaluation
• Staging
• Optimal treatment
• Rehabilitation
• Surveillance for recurrent disease
• Support services
• End-of-life care
• Cancer-related quality improvement
• Evaluation of outcomes

The availability of a full range of medical services along with a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care at approved cancer programs has resulted in approximately 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients being treated in CoC-approved cancer programs.

Recognizing cancer is a complex group of diseases, the CoC Cancer Program Standards promote consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary cooperation results in improved patient care.

Five elements are key to success of a CoC-approved cancer program:

• The clinical services provide state-of-the-art pretreatment evaluation, staging, treatment and clinical follow up for cancer patients seen at the facility for primary, secondary, tertiary and quarternary care.
• The cancer committee leads the program through setting goals, monitoring activity, evaluating patient outcomes and improving care.
• The cancer conferences provide a forum for patient consultation and contribute to physician education.
• The quality improvement program is the mechanism for evaluating and improving patient outcomes.
• The cancer registry and database are the basis for monitoring the quality of care.

Every CoC-approved cancer program must provide a host of basic services. These services are provided on-site at the facility, by referral or are coordinated with other facilities or local agencies.

Services include: