Carroll County General Hospital is negotiating with four health care providers to operate a radiation oncology center in Westminster.
Hospital officials say having a cancer treatment facility in the county would allow some local cancer patients to receive radiation treatments here instead of traveling to Baltimore or Pennsylvania centers.
"We're trying to make sure we can offer the full range of services appropriate for a community hospital," said Linda Harder, Carroll County General's vice president for marketing. "It will round out our complement of oncology or cancer services."
Dr. Flavio Kruter, a Westminster medical hematologist and oncologist, said traveling to radiation centers is inconvenient and uncomfortable for many local cancer patients.
"The ride can be pretty trying and painful," Dr. Kruter said. "For the patients' sake it will be nice to have a radiation facility here."
The hospital plans to open the center in summer or fall 1996.
Carroll County General is negotiating with Pennsylvania-based Oncology Services and three Baltimore hospitals, about providing radiation oncology services.
Of the four health care providers, Carroll County General has had the most "in-depth" discussions with Oncology Services, which runs other oncology services in the area, said hospital executive vice president John Sernulka. In addition, Dr. Albert Blumberg, the Maryland medical director for Oncology Services, is on staff at Carroll County General.
The hospital is seeking a partner in the radiation oncology center because of the high costs involved in establishing such a facility.
"We wanted to look for outside partners who might be willing to use their capital dollars for the bulk of the project," Ms. Harder said.
"We want to make sure we have enough capital funding for other projects, like the outpatient surgery center."
Ms. Harder said the equipment for radiation oncology treatments will cost between $1 million and $3 million.
The hospital also is negotiating with the county to locate the radiation oncology facility at the former site of Shoemaker House, adjacent to the county health department.
Mr. Sernulka said the site is ideal because the hospital plans to convert the health department building into a $5.2 million outpatient surgery center.
Carroll County General bought the health department building in July for $4.5 million.
The hospital has been exploring opening a radiation oncology center in Westminster for several years. As part of their decision to go ahead with plans for a center, hospital officials considered the growing number of elderly people in the county and the number of cancer cases that might require radiation oncology services.
Hospital research shows that approximately 600 county residents may get cancer in any year, and about 60 percent may need radiation therapy, Ms. Harder said.
Of those 350 cancer patients, the hospital estimates that 150 to 200 would use the new radiation facility annually.
Cancer patients may require 16 to 20 radiation treatments.
Eventually, Carroll County General plans to house most of its cancer treatment services, including chemotherapy, in the radiation oncology center.
"The goal is to provide a comprehensive cancer center," Ms. Harder said.