Cancer care services come to Bellevue

BELLEVUE — Earlier this month, The Bellevue Hospital hosted an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to showcase its Cancer care and infusion services department. The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce assisted in putting on the event. "Getting care close to home is especially important when someone receives a cancer diagnosis," said Timothy Buit, The Bellevue Hospital's president and chief executive officer. "You want to be able to access physicians and services near home," Buit said. "That is why The Bellevue Hospital and The Toledo Clinic are collaborating to provide the expertise needed to help our residents navigate through this challenging disease without traveling to a larger city for care." In addition, "The Bellevue Hospital's skilled staff will provide services such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, a treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer," according to an organizational statement. "This service is housed in the hospital and conveniently located on the first floor." The Toledo Clinic Cancer Centers "are dedicated to defining, delivering and coordinating standards for evidence-based, value-driven cancer care across northern Ohio and southern Michigan," said Dr. Rex Mowat, the managing partner of The Toledo Clinic Cancer Centers. "This commitment is evident in the constant partnerships, like our new collaboration with The Bellevue Hospital, and enhancements of services, programs, outreach and new initiatives." On April 11, The Bellevue Hospital began offering a new physician-run hematology/oncology clinic led by The Toledo Clinic Cancer Center's Dr. Apoorva Chawla. Chawla: • Is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology by the American Board of Medical Specialties • Specializes in breast cancer, lung cancer and gastrointestinal cancers • Has more than seven years of experience and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of science degree with distinction and Indiana University School of Medicine with his doctorate of medicine degree • Completed an internal medicine residency at Harvard Medical School: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a clinical fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at The University of Chicago Medical Center "We have many opportunities for providing cancer treatment to Bellevue and its surrounding communities," said Chawla, who is the medical director of The Bellevue Hospital's Cancer Care Services. "We can now offer targeted therapies, immunotherapies and focus on pathways that drive cancer," Chawla added. "We can reduce delays in getting high-quality care. Together we can focus on prevention, early detection, therapeutics, support and rehabilitation and palliative care/survivorship." Chawla is accepting new patients. People can contact The Bellevue Hospital for more information. Beyond the Cancer Care Services, The Bellevue Hospital's infusion services is housed in this space "and is staffed by skilled and compassionate registered nurses who are specially trained to administer IV medications and perform wound care," according to the statement. "The Bellevue Hospital's infusion services staff works with individuals and their primary care provider to support the patient's unique needs." People can visit bellevuehospital.com/services/cancer-care-and-infusion-services for more information.