To address the rising number of cancer cases and the need to coordinate all aspects of cancer care, Overlook will build a comprehensive cancer center. National studies project a 23 percent increase by 2015 in the number of new cancer cases annually, and our region's older-than-average population will exacerbate the need for care in Overlook's communities. The hospital's cancer caregivers are now scattered throughout the facility, a situation that slows response and creates stress for patients who must navigate from area to area. Patients would benefit from the complementary services that reduce anxiety, educate patients and families, and aid recovery. Overlook has the opportunity to transform community cancer care by creating a 26,400-square-foot facility with additional specialists, support programs, and expanded community education and screening for cancer prevention and early detection.

The new center will feature

• an expanded chemotherapy infusion suite to meet surging demand and a dedicated cancer pharmacy for fast delivery of drugs;
• a new linear accelerator for radiation treatments;
• dedicated space for the Brain Tumor Center of New Jersey;
• expanded services in gynecological and thoracic oncology;
• offices for a dietician, clinical nurse specialist, and social worker;
• a resource room with public computer access and a technologically sophisticated meeting room for teleconferencing, community education, screenings, classes for mind-body techniques, and cancer support groups;
• an endowment to underwrite the center's leadership and the mind-body program;
• a research suite for staff who will recruit patients for and manage data from clinical trials that give patients early access to promising new drugs and treatments; and
• its own entrance for easy drop off and a light-filled reception area.

With the new center Overlook's specialists can easily consult on each patient's care plan and view X-ray images and lab results at a moment's notice. Because cancer requires many specialists, consolidating services in one place will speed patients through multiple visits to their health care team.