New Hanover Regional Medical Center
Wilmington, NC

The New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) is part of the New Hanover Health Network, the largest provider of health care services in Southeastern North Carolina. NHRMC is the network's 769-bed tertiary, teaching facility. Affiliated with the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Coastal Area Health Education Center, it offers residency programs in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, family practice, and internal medicine. Its 4,400 employees, 490 physicians and 900 volunteers serve one of the nation's fastest growing communities and retirement-age populations.

The Zimmer Cancer Center
The Zimmer Cancer Center, on NHRMC's main campus, is Southeastern North Carolina's only community cancer center dedicated solely to the diagnosis, treatment, and support of people with cancer. The Zimmer Cancer Center provides access to board-certified medical, surgical, radiation, and gynecological oncology physicians and consolidates services such as infusion therapy, chemotherapy, radiation oncology, and support services. Clinic services are available for diagnosis and follow-up care. The cancer program offers access to a 24-bed inpatient unit and other services at NHRMC.

Patient Population
New Hanover Regional Medical Center serves a population that is heavily concentrated with African-American and poor persons.

This institution was awarded a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute. The project title is Improving Cancer Outcomes for African-Americans. Read an excerpt of the proposal below:

Southeastern North Carolina is a rural area with concentrations of poverty and a large proportion of African-American residents.

Our goal is to increase accrual of African-American cancer patients to radiation therapy group clinical trials through the following: 1) Developing a collaborative partnership with an experienced academic institution that can provide continuing education, consultation, and training in the areas of radiation oncology treatment and research; 2) Identifying and addressing the local factors that inhibit participation in radiation clinical trials; and 3) Developing mechanisms to communicate with patients and providers in surrounding rural areas to provide consultation and facilitate appropriate referrals for radiation trials.

This project will permit us to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and medical practice that will eventually lead to the reduction or elimination of racial disparities in cancer outcomes.

Equipment installed at this site: Full TELESYNERGY(R) system using off-the-shelf software on a Windows XP Workstation.