Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH), in partnership with Alliance Oncology, a division of Alliance HealthCare Services, and the Medical University of South Carolina Health System (MUSC Health), officially opened its new Keyserling Cancer Center Jan. 17, bringing all of the hospital’s cancer services under one roof.
Relocated from the Port Royal facility that opened in 2006, the new facility is located next to the hospital in the three-story Beaufort Medical Plaza at 989 Ribaut Road. In addition to medical and radiation oncology, the center will offer easy access to lab, imaging, infusion and breast health services.
“We’re excited about the many benefits the new center provides to the community,” said Russell Baxley, Beaufort Memorial president and CEO. “Now that we’ve consolidated services in one location, we can focus on adding access to sub-specialists, support services and more to our cancer program, enhancing the multidisciplinary model that has shown to improve outcomes.”
In the coming year, Beaufort Memorial’s general surgeons will relocate their offices to the building, allowing them to more seamlessly coordinate care with the rest of the cancer team, and making it more convenient for patients to navigate the complex journey from cancer diagnosis to treatment.
The hospital has also announced plans to open a second cancer center in its soon-to-be-constructed Bluffton area medical campus near Okatie Crossing. That facility is expected to open in 2020.
The joint venture also expands the collaboration BMH has had with MUSC, providing expertise in sub-specialties not available in Beaufort. Initiated in 2016, the affiliation with the National Cancer Institute-designated Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC has allowed BMH patients to participate in groundbreaking clinical trials studying promising new cancer drugs and treatments.
Thanks to its new partnership with Alliance Oncology, BMH was able to upgrade to the state-of-the-art TrueBeam radiotherapy system, one of the most powerful and precise radiation therapy delivery systems available.
“We’re now offering the same advanced technology and protocols available at leading cancer centers,” said board-certified radiation oncologist Jonathan Briggs, M.D., medical director of Radiation Oncology Services. “It makes it so much easier for patients when they can receive their treatment close to home.”
Named in honor of physician Herbert Keyserling, who served on the Beaufort Memorial Hospital medical staff for more than 50 years, the Keyserling Cancer Center is accredited as a Community Cancer Program, and received Accreditation with Commendation – the highest level of endorsement – from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer in 2016.
For more information, visit beaufortmemorial.org or call 843-522-7800.
