As cancer treatments have evolved, the needs of patients and survivors have also changed, says Ladawna Leeth, a registered nurse and director of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton.
Leeth said some patients now receive therapies over longer periods of time, making it important for the treatment facility to be in a convenient location.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton is located on the campus of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. The center is affiliated with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick, and has a laboratory and pharmacy on site.
In the facility’s infusion area, there are large windows in front of the chairs that border the room. Patients receiving treatments like chemotherapy, hydration and blood transfusions can face a garden, called Grounds for Healing, which was designed through a partnership with Grounds for Sculpture. Patients can also receive treatments in private rooms, Leeth said.
Physicians who work at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton are affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Leeth said.
Two doctors at the facility, Pauline Lerma and Michael McKenna, were named in “190 Top Doctors in Women’s Health in New Jersey,” a list published in Inside Jersey magazine in 2010.
In addition to the gardens, the facility offers therapies with harp music and pets, said Patty Hutman–Parker, a registered nurse who works in radiation oncology.
Hutman–Parker, a resident of Yardville, said she was inspired to help others after an early experience with oncology. When she was five years old, she helped care for her grandfather, who had colon cancer.
“I love it. I couldn’t imagine being any other type of nurse,” she said.
