SB Time Capsule

In the Year 1990...

Fitzpatrick Cancer Center’s first director

Dr. Orlando Martelo

The statistics are dismaying—here in the North Country, approximately 600 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in a population of 160,000. This situation was one of the reasons for the construction of the James A. FitzPatrick Cancer Center at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical Center. “We looked around the area a few years ago and realized we were not doing the best we could for our people,” said Pat Austin, CVPH public relations director.

Construction of the 12,000-square-foot Cancer Center was begun in March, 1989, by Murnane Associates of Plattsburgh, and completed in March of this year. The nearly $4 million facility provides space for the most modern medical treatment plus the supportive care needed by patients and family members. Dedication of the Center was set for April 29, followed by a community open house with tours of the Center on May 13, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The facility is unusual in that it brings virtually all aspects of out-patient cancer treatment together in one location. CVPH president Kevin Carroll used the words “momentous” and “unique” to describe the Center. “The concept itself is new; there was no model for it,” Carroll said. “But it was something I’ve always wanted to do, working out how to provide service for patients and their families: all of the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. I have a strong feeling about putting all those together. That’s what’s driving us and will continue to do so.”

There is certainly nothing comparable in this part of the country, Austin explained: “We were in a unique position. Seldom is a hospital able to build a whole new structure like this, but we had the land, we had the population to be served, and we had the funds and financing available.”

At the Patient’s Service

The result is a facility that, in Austin’s words, has “the staff waiting for the patient to come. We don’t have to send people to the fifth floor, the first floor, across town, or to Burlington, Boston, Syracuse or Albany for the treatment they need.”

The Cancer Center is named for James A. FitzPatrick, a community leader and long-time member of the hospital’s board of directors. He died of cancer in February, 1988. His loss to the community provided one of the impetuses for establishing a facility to provide the most up-to-date cancer care. “It bothered everybody that his was one of the cases we couldn’t treat at CVPH,” said Austin.

Visiting the Cancer Center is more like visiting a well-designed and decorated hotel or office building (with a touch of hominess included) than it is like visiting a medical facility. The V-shaped floor plan of the lobby draws visitors in and directs them to the various sections of the Center. All over, the feeling is one of warmth, from the pinkish-beige walls to the mingled deeper pink, mauve and blue tweed of the carpeting, to the blond tones of the wood used for furniture and trim in the interior to the plentiful windows and skylights. There are plenty of well-upholstered chairs and couches. Stainless steel is nowhere to be found, nor is there any institutional green. “The only green,” said Pat Austin, “is the plants.”

“Spirit, attitude and emotions play a big part in treating an illness,” Austin explains. “The environment of the Cancer Center says, ‘You’re a well person who needs treatment—you’re not a sick person.’” To help the patient undergo the treatment, the Center includes provisions for family members to accompany the patient: comfortable spaces for waiting, private areas for conferences, and extra chairs in treatment rooms for patients undergoing lengthy procedures.

From the lobby, the Center is divided into two sections—chemotherapy and radiation therapy—each with its own nurses’ station plus examination and treatment rooms. The chemotherapy section has its own laboratory and pharmacy so patients don’t need to leave the Center.

The Latest Technology

Treatment in both sections is state-of-the-art. Since the end of March, the Center has had a linear accelerator to provide radiation therapy, plus a simulator room, where the physician and radiation physicist map out the best angles for treatment.

On the chemotherapy side, the Center is state-of-the-art by virtue of its affiliation with the National Cancer Institute. This connection makes the Center part of the network of cancer centers across the country and enables it to participate in clinical trials of chemotherapy drugs that are approved for use with cancer patients, but are not yet available except in certain cancer centers. The FitzPatrick Cancer Center is also part of a computer link connected with other specialized cancer centers around the country.

The affiliation with the National Cancer Institute was brought to the Center by its director, Dr. Orlando Martelo, who joined the Center in 1988, when it was in the developmental stage. Other physicians on the staff include Dr. Allen Bradshaw, a radiation oncologist; and Dr. John Griffin, a medical oncologist. Debra Donahue, RN, MS, CCN, is the nurse manager of the Center. The total staff size is 20.

Although the Center will offer the latest in cancer treatment, that’s not its only function. It is prepared to provide nutrition counseling, pain management and psychological support to patients and their families. It plans to work with other community agencies and organizations to provide patients with access to the entire spectrum of services available in the region. It is also concerned with helping the community stay well by providing screening and diagnosis facilities to detect the earliest stages of cancer. The Center will also establish educational programs to make people aware of good health practices that may prevent disease. Finally, the FitzPatrick Cancer Center will be a focal point for professional education in the area through lectures and conferences for people involved in health care.

Now 2026...

Fitzpatrick Cancer Treatment Center

Since its opening in 1990, the FitzPatrick Cancer Center has set a new standard of cancer care in Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties. Named after North Country icon, James FitzPatrick, the Center’s mission has been to harness the collective talents of a variety of health care professionals under one roof. and provide the highest quality of patient centered cancer care possible. And it has succeeded.

When it opened, the Center had one chemotherapy chair. It now has 15 comfortable, private spaces for patients receiving chemotherapy and other infusions.

Its Radiation Therapy area provides state-of-the-art technology – equipment and software - designed to provide targeted radiation while reducing damage to surrounding tissue.

Patients looking for help finding more information about their cancer diagnosis or treatments will find volunteers in the Center’s lobby who are specially trained and dedicated to helping them get the answers they need. A dietician, an oncology social worker and a financial advocate are all available to guide the way.

Numerous support groups, to help meet the emotional, spiritual and psychosocial needs of cancer patients, their families and caregivers are readily available.

While one in three Americans will be diagnosed with a form of cancer in their lifetime, high quality medical care improves survival by providing early detection, accurate staging, personalized treatment plans (such as targeted therapies), and robust symptom management — all available at the North Country’s own FitzPatrick Cancer Treatment Center.

FitzPatrick Cancer Center

212 Cornelia Street

Plattsburgh, NY 1290

518 562-7100

www.uvmhealth.org/locations