AHN moving radiation oncology services out of Butler location
Allegheny Health Network is transitioning its radiation oncology services out of the AHN Cancer Institute in Pullman Center Business Park effective June 30.
The facility will continue to offer medical oncology services, including chemo/infusion therapy, nutritional counseling and social services support for cancer patients, according to Dan Laurent, vice president of corporate communications for AHN. Laurent said the facility will continue to provide patient consultations and follow-ups.
After June 30, area patients who require radiation therapy treatment as a part of their cancer care regimen will be directed to nearby AHN cancer facilities, including the Wexford Health & Wellness Pavilion, AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital or AHN Allegheny General Hospital.
Laurent said AHN is shifting its resources to other locations because of continued growth in demand for cancer services across the network’s footprint and the need to allocate resources accordingly.
The linear accelerator used for radiation therapy at the Butler location will be moved to the Forbes Hospital Cancer Center in Monroeville, where the demand for radiation oncology services is growing beyond the current capacity, Laurent said.
Colleen Schirato, of Valencia, said she found out this week the facility where she has been getting radiation treatment for breast cancer would be closing in less than a month. She said she heard from staff that she would have to transfer to Wexford or Natrona Heights for follow up treatments after June 30, which are both longer commutes compared to her 10- to 15-minute drive to the Butler facility.
Schirato said she is more worried about the older patients who are getting treated at the Butler AHN center, because they may have a harder time getting to appointments.
“What are people in these small communities supposed to do?” Schirato said. “It’s just awful. Most of us who get a cancer diagnosis, it’s for life. Why are you taking something away where I might be back there in 10 years, or less?”
Cheryl Schaefer, leader of the Butler Breast Cancer and Women’s Cancer Support Group, said the AHN Cancer Institute was the last place in Butler County where people could get radiation services and chemotherapy services in the same place.
“There’s no place where they’re going to be together,” she said. “That’s heartbreaking.”
The institute opened in March 2019, and offered radiation and oncology services.
