Major Expansion Project Approved For Greenwich Hospital

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Hospital has received unanimous approval from the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission to move forward with plans to establish a branch of the Smilow Cancer Hospital within its existing facility.

The decision, made Tuesday evening, allows Greenwich Hospital to expand oncology services through its affiliation with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. Officials said the project will enhance access to advanced cancer care for local residents and reduce the need for patients to travel for treatments not currently offered in Greenwich.

"We are so grateful to the members of Planning and Zoning for their thoughtful and diligent consideration of our proposal," said Robert Blenderman, PA, MBA, president, Greenwich Hospital, in a statement. "By partnering with the town in developing and evolving our proposal over the years, we are now perfectly situated to fulfill our mission to provide state-of-the-art cancer care in the right environment with expert medical staff."

The new facility will operate as an extension of Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, which is the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Connecticut. Hospital officials said the expansion will bring in additional disease-specific teams and nationally recognized specialists.

No timeline for construction or opening was immediately provided.

"As a long-time supporter of Greenwich Hospital and a lifetime Greenwich resident, I am both excited and thankful to see the Smilow Cancer Hospital become a reality," said Robert Berkley, chair, Greenwich Hospital Board of Trustees. "This new center will provide Greenwich residents with exceptional care delivered by some of the nation’s most prominent and highly respected physicians and nurses in a space that allows for the growth of new and needed services."

The project comes as local cancer rates are projected to rise in the coming decade. Hospital leaders cited expected increases in bladder, liver, lung, skin, pancreatic and prostate cancers in the Greenwich area, estimating growth of more than 10 percent over the next 10 years.

Officials said the expanded oncology services will include advanced radiation technology, infusion therapy, imaging, surgery, and private oncology rooms, along with specialized services for women’s cancers.

"Cancer care is currently undergoing rapid and epic transformation at multiple levels throughout the continuum, from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and also palliative and end-of-life care," said William K. Oh, MD, service line medical director of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich and director of Precision Medicine for Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. "These improvements have focused on bettering the outcomes and experience of patients diagnosed with cancer. What was impossible just five years ago is now possible because of these advancements and thanks to the Commission’s decision, we will now be able to offer more multidisciplinary teams with disease-specific experts and serve the patients of this community with the highest level of cancer care."