In a surprise announcement that caught many off guard, including some city councilors, the oncology department at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham is staying open – at least for now.
The announcement was made at a hearing from the state’s Department of Public Health on Wednesday at Framingham City Hall.
The CEO of the medical center, which is owned by Tenet Healthcare, said that negotiations are underway with Tufts Medical Center to continue radiation oncology and oncology infusion services at its Framingham location.
Dozens of people filled the room to discuss the potential closure of those cancer services after it was announced earlier this year, with the hospital citing a decline in demand for oncology infusion and radiation oncology at MetroWest.
The president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Kate Murphy, had condemned the potential closure of the oncology infusion and radiation oncology services.
“It’s even more important for a community like Framingham, which has significant and growing population of residents who lack means to travel long distances,” Murphy said.
For patients coping with cancer diagnosis the stress and can be an enormous burden which makes local access to treatment vital for positive outcome.
Cancer patients and their spouses like Ellen Goldsmith, who went through six rounds of radiation at the Framingham facilities, stress the needs are vital to the community and surrounding areas.
“If it were your parents your daughter or son or spouse, you’d want the same care for them that has been given to us,” Goldsmith’s wife said. “It’s been top notch.”
