Easier Access to Care Helps Patients Cope with Cancer
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Gerrish Breast Care Center’s new Haverhill satellite location offers cancer survivors convenience and superlative care.
Brenda Rossi was used to the drive from her home in Merrimac, Mass., on the Haverhill line to the Gerrish Breast Care Center at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.
Rossi, 70, was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram at one of Anna Jaques Hospital’s mammography sites in Amesbury three years ago. She was referred to the Gerrish Breast Care Center at Anna Jaques where she became a patient of Dr. Peter Hartmann.
“It was a tiny, tiny spot,” Rossi says, which luckily was caught in the very early stages.
She recalls her first appointment with Dr. Hartmann, the medical director of the center. The personable and comforting surgeon quickly made her feel at ease, she says.
“He’s awesome,” Rossi adds.
Not wanting to make the trip to a Boston hospital, Rossi turned to Anna Jaques and is glad she did. She would even go on to convince one of her friends, unhappy with her treatment at a Boston facility, to switch to Anna Jaques.
Photo by Kevin Harkins.
Following her surgery, Rossi says she frequently travelled to the hospital for chemotherapy and aftercare. A long-distance drive to Boston would have involved battling traffic and travel expenses. The fact that she could get top quality care without the hassle gave her a great sense of ease during her recovery.
Her treatment became even more convenient when the staff asked if she wanted to schedule her next appointment at the hospital’s new medical office building, Haverhill Medical Offices of Anna Jaques Hospital, located at 600 Primrose Street, since it was closer to home.
Dr. Hartmann and his staff make weekly visits to the satellite location, which opened last fall, to meet with patients in the greater Haverhill area.
“It’s not even four miles from my house,” Rossi says.
Dr. Hartmann says the hospital chose to open the satellite office to better service patients for whom commuting to Newburyport can be difficult. The Haverhill site is on the bus line and easily accessible for those who live in the surrounding area.
“It’s been very well-received,” he adds.
The Gerrish Breast Care Center is marking its fifth anniversary in Newburyport this fall. Since opening, the center has come to be recognized by women in the greater Newburyport area as a facility that provides the highest quality care, Dr. Hartmann says. This acceptance has been critical to the center’s success, with many patients continuing to stay with the center for treatment and on-going care.
Anna Jaques is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and utilizes the same up-to-date technology and 3D Mammography machines offered at large medical facilities, Dr. Hartmann continued. The center is a Certified Breast Center as recognized by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a program administered by the American College of Surgeons – one of only 18 in Massachusetts.
“This is something that the hospital and the Gerrish Breast Care Center can be very proud of,” says Kathy Porter, RN, Patient Care Navigator. “For me, it is the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It shows we are offering the same quality of care as the bigger sites.”
3D MAMMOGRAPHY
Anna Jaques offers 3D Mammography, the latest imaging technology in the field, at three convenient locations:
• Newburyport – 25 Highland Avenue
• Amesbury – 24 Morrill Place
• Haverhill – PMA Medical Office Building, One Park Way
Call for an appointment at any location: (978) 834-8210
*Walk-in appointments also available at the Amesbury & Haverhill locations.
Anna Jaques Hospital
AJH.org/breastcare
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