WakeMed Cancer Care Marks One Year
October 2, 2023Over the summer, WakeMed Cancer Care celebrated one year of providing high-quality cancer services in Wake County. From day one, the multidisciplinary Cancer Care team has been committed to enhancing access to coordinated inpatient and outpatient oncology care and services in our community.
It has been a year of incredible growth for the service line – growing from three oncologists to five (with two more joining soon) and seven APPs, expanding to include a second outpatient practice in Cary, adding numerous support team members and providing evidence-based, oncology-nurse-navigator led, high-value cancer care services to patients within Wake County and beyond.
“WakeMed Cancer Care was established to help address an unmet need for comprehensive oncology services here in Wake County, and the impact we have already made is truly remarkable,” commented Vijay Chaudhary, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief of Oncology. “We are so fortunate to have such a talented and compassionate team of providers and staff who are committed to putting the patient and their family first. It’s amazing to see what we accomplished in just a year – and we are just getting started.”
Today, the WakeMed Cancer Care team provides specialized outpatient hematology & medical oncology services at two locations – Raleigh Medical Park and the Medical Park of Cary – as well as inpatient consultations at Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital. Our entire community has expressed tremendous support for WakeMed Cancer Care and our patients and families continue to enjoy significant benefit from timely, collaborative and streamlined care within our health system. From pharmacy counseling to financial assistance, rehabilitation to survivorship services, the team helps patients manage any needs that may arise throughout the healing process. In addition to the Hematology & Medical Oncology practice, our talented teams of surgeons, imaging, lab, pharmacy and many others play a huge role in the care of cancer patients.
In the coming year, WakeMed Cancer Care will continue to expand their scope and add new services. Work is also underway to expand capacity for inpatient and outpatient services – including a third outpatient location at the North Hospital Physicians Office Pavilion by spring of 2024. WakeMed has submitted a Certificate of Need application to add a linear accelerator, which would support development of a radiation oncology program.
WakeMed Cancer Care by the Numbers
- 22,000+ patient visits
- Top cancers by diagnosis treated: breast, thoracic, gastrointestinal and genitourinary
- 50+ staff and providers within WakeMed Cancer Care
- 311 cancer genetics appointments completed (individuals with cancer and those with family histories of cancer)