NYPQ opens new therapeutic medicine center

By Patrick Kearns

Patients who require intravenous treatments can now receive them in the new Therapeutic Medicine Center at New York Presbyterian-Queens (NYPQ) in Flushing.

The nine-bed center is designed to serve the adult outpatient population by providing a patient-focused, relaxed and peaceful environment for patients receiving intravenous treatment for cancer, anemia and other medical conditions. The center welcomed its first patients on April 19.

“We have all experienced the devastation of a shocking diagnosis,” said Camille Glotzbecker, the center’s administrative director at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. “The therapeutic medicine center was created to provide an environment of peace and aims to offer compassion and hope that is desperately needed during that challenging journey.”

At the center, patients receive treatment in private suites rather than a shared room with several infusion chairs. The center’s comprehensive patient care includes a multidisciplinary team skilled in spirituality, specialized nursing, nutrition, genetics, palliative care, and supportive care services for both the patient and their families.

Other features include an open snack bar, holistic therapies, genetic evaluations, cooking demonstrations and nutrition lectures that are specific to cancer care and treatment.

“Cancer care requires much more than treatment and diagnosis,” said Dr. David Fishman, director of the Cancer Program at the hospital. “Cancer takes a toll on the patient and their loved ones in innumerable ways. By having our own Therapeutic Medicine Center, we can treat the patient’s acute illness and assist in every stage of recovery.

“What makes this place great today is not the walls,” he added. “It’s a comprehensive program of people taking care of patients from head-to-toe.”

The center is another way that NYPQ aims to become the destination hospital in the borough, said NYPQ President Jaclyn Mucaria.

“We want them to be able to come here and be able to provide screening, prevention and treatment,” she said.

According to Dr. Amir Jaffer, prior to opening the center many patients had to leave the hospital for intravenous treatments.

“As you all know, especially if you’ve had a loved one with cancer, it really puts a lot of stress both on the patient as well as family and friends,” he said. “This center is really showing to everybody that we are committed to enhancing the patient’s experience and care.”

NYPQ chief operating officer Robert Blenderman added that it’s not only the facility that is going to be a unique experience for the patient, but also the staff.

“It’s not just an office, not just a treatment area, but it’s a bunch of very highly engaged, highly talented people taking care of very sick people,” he said.

The new center is part of a cancer program that has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons as one of the best in the United States.

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens in Flushing is a community teaching hospital affiliated with Weill Cornell Medicine, serving Queens and metro New York residents. The 535-bed tertiary care facility provides services in 14 clinical departments and numerous subspecialties. Annually, 15,000 surgeries and 4,000 infant deliveries are performed at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. With its network of affiliated primary and multispecialty care physician practices and community-based health centers, the hospital provides approximately 162,000 ambulatory care visits and 124,000 emergency service visits annually. For more information, visit nyp.org/queens.