HEALTHCARE NEWS HUMANITARIAN SPOTLIGHT: Marta Fiol of Cancer Care Centers of Brevard and the Cancer Care Foundation
CENTRAL FLORIDA, USA (Oct. 25, 2011) – Central Florida Medicine and Space Coast Medicine magazines have the distinct honor and pleasure of identifying and featuring the many members of our community who give back so much and are dedicated to reaching out and helping others here and throughout the world in a multitude of ways as illustrated by the feature video presentations below. (read more and see video)
HEALTHCARE NEWS
CENTRAL FLORIDA, USA (Nov 15, 2011) – Cancer Care Centers of Brevard has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology and The American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Radiation oncology or radiation therapy is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain.
The ACR-ASTRO seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific practice guidelines and technical standards developed by ACR and ASTRO after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. (read more)
Center accredited for radiation oncology
November 9, 2011 - Cancer Care Centers of Brevard in Melbourne recently was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology by the American College of Radiology and The American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Radiation oncology is the use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain.
The ACR-ASTRO seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety.
For information about Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, call 321-952-0898 or visit cancercarebrevard.com.
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard Earns ACR Accreditation in Radiation Oncology
November 7, 2011 - MELBOURNE, Fla. — Cancer Care Centers of Brevard (CCCB) was recently awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain. (read more)
Health Newsmakers -
Doctor Germain Blaine of Cancer Care Centers of Brevard receives three-year appointment as Cancer Liaison Physician at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville. Cancer Center gets 3-year accreditation.
Germaine Blaine, a board certified medical oncologist and hematologist with Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, recently received a three-year appointment as Cancer Liaison Physician for the cancer program at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville. As a cancer liaison physician, Blaine is among a national network of more than 1,600 volunteer physicians responsible for providing leadership and direction to establish, maintain and support their facilities' cancer program. Blaine, who specializes in malignant diseases, is a member of the multidisciplinary cancer committee at Parrish.
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard was recently awarded a three-year accreditation in Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography by the American College of Radiology. The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded to facilities meeting a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists.
For information about Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, call 321-636-2111 or visit cancercarebrevard.com.
For information on the Cancer Liaison Program and the Commission on Cancer, call 312-202-5085 or visit www.facs.org/cancer. By Kristen Alligood
5 Do's & don'ts of cancer prevention - by Chuck McClung, Florida Today (Oct. 19, 2011)
Yes, we all know stopping smoking and not drinking alcohol in excess can reduce our risks of developing cancer, but what about cutting calories or flossing your teeth? We asked doctors for their advice on what — and what not — to do to minimize cancer risks.
Reduce body fat
“Cutting body fat certainly seems to be a way to reduce your risk,” said Dr. Craig Badolato, medical oncologist at Cancer Care Centers of Brevard in Melbourne. His assertion is backed by a 2007 study by the World Cancer Research Fund, which recommended keeping your weight on the lower end of the Body Mass Index, a formula used to calculate body fat based on height and weight. Badolato said he is a firm believer in the BMI. (read more)
CANCER CARE CENTERS OF BREVARD EARNS ACR ACCREDITATION IN PET IMAGING
September 28, 2011 - MELBOURNE, Fla. — Cancer Care Centers of Brevard (CCCB) was recently awarded a three-year term of accreditation in positron emission tomography (PET) as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.(read more)
Community Invited to Attend Care Cancer Centers of Brevard and Cancer Care Centers Foundation’s First “Multicultural Health Fair,” October 29. Event Offers Important Health Education and Free Breast and Prostate Screenings by Appointment Only and Diabetic, Eye, Osteoporosis, Peripheral Artery Disease, and Blood Pressure Screenings
MELBOURNE, Fla. – In its combined efforts to provide the community access to important health education and screenings, Cancer Care Centers of Brevard (CCCB) and Cancer Care Centers Foundation (CCCF) are hosting its first “Multicultural Health Fair” event on Saturday, October 29 from 8 a.m. to Noon. The free event will take place at Cancer Care Centers of Brevard located on 1430 S. Pine Street in Melbourne. (read more)
HEALTHCARE NEWS
CENTRAL FLORIDA, USA (June 8, 2011) – Chief Radiation Physicist Daljit S. Saini, MS, DABR, of the Cancer Care Centers of Brevard announced that Bhavin Patadiya, MS (IT), MS (Med. Phys.), DABR has achieved the highest Board Certification in Medical Physics.
“Mr. Patadiya’s recent excellence is due in large part to his extensive experience at the St. Louis University Medical Center with the CyberKnife Cancer Treatment system,” said Saini. ”The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery system represents the cutting edge in premiere cancer treatment.”
(read more)
Brevard County Cancer Survivor Credits Cure to CyberKnife -
Robotic Radiation Device Targets Hard-to-Access Cancerous Tumors (May 23, 2011) - by Susan Jenks
A self-described talker, Carol Martin admits she had trouble keeping quiet during her radiation treatments for lung cancer. But doctors told her talking might disrupt the therapy because of the radiation machine's sensitivity to her every breath. "So I just lay there listening to music," said Martin, a former bank manager. "I didn't feel anything." A six-time cancer survivor, Martin, 70, credits her hard-earned cancer-free status today to the CyberKnife, a multimillion-dollar machine that delivers focused beams of radiation at tumors from multiple angles, cutting with bursts of high-dose radiation, not an actual knife. So grateful is she to the treatments she received at the Cancer Care Centers, she barely acknowledges her struggles to beat a disease that has been such a huge part of her life for the past decade. Since 2001, the Rockledge resident said she's been diagnosed with three lung cancers, two bouts of blood cancer and one breast cancer.
"In 2008, I got a double-whammy," she said, a diagnosis of breast and lung cancer on the same side, at the same time.
(read more)
CCCB expands its practice
with medical oncologists
Dr. Blaine, Dr. Badolato
BBN - Vol. 29 No. 8 (Feb. 21, 2011) - by Ken Datzman
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard(CCCB), with
its flagship facility on Pine Street in
Melbourne, continues to expand its team of
physicians and has rounded out the
practice with the addition of two board–
certified medical oncologists.
The new team members, who bring
the number of medical and radiation
oncologists to 10 at CCCB, are Dr. Germaine
Blaine, a survivor of childhood cancer, and
Dr. Craig Badolato, who has practiced
medicine in Brevard for nearly 20 years.
Dr. Blaine, a former assistant instructor
and professor at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer
Center and Research Institute in Tampa,
says she is right where she wants to be in
life — practicing medicine and providing
care for cancer patients, helping them cope
and better understand the disease. “I really wanted to do patient care and
not be in a laboratory environment,” said
Dr. Blaine, who never gave up on her
ambition of earning a college degree, which
she fully funded herself, and pursuing a
career in medicine despite setbacks early in
her life.
“I have found that at this center, I am
able to practice medicine the way I like to
do it, and that is to spend time with my
patients. In today’s economy, health–care
consumers are facing higher copays and
they expect to have their questions
answered when they come for a visit. I go
out of my way to try and make that
happen,” she added.
A medical oncologist often is the main
health–care provider for someone who has
cancer.
“As an oncologist, I believe you have an
obligation to take care of the patient —
mind, body, and soul,” said Dr. Badolato,
who grew up in Philadelphia and is a
biology graduate of LaSalle College. “And
that’s what we strive to do at Cancer Care
Centers of Brevard. (read more)
Dr. Germaine Blaine and Dr. Craig
Badolato, board–certified medical
oncologists, have joined Cancer Care
Centers of Brevard, headquartered
in
Melbourne.
Dr. Blaine is a
cancer
survivor herself,
having
been diagnosed
with sarcoma
at
age 16. Dr. Badolato,
a Philadelphia
native,
has practiced
in Brevard for
nearly
20 years.
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard’s Clinical Team Includes Seven Cancer Survivors, Helping to Inspire and Educate Patients through their own Personal Experiences(Feb. 16, 2011)
MELBOURNE, Fla. – There is an unbreakable bond between cancer survivors at Cancer Care Centers of Brevard (CCCB). However, these cancer survivors are not who most would envision. They are medical oncologists, radiation therapists, patient advocates and medical assistants who unexpectedly traded places with their patients after being diagnosed with cancer. They too are now survivors and find themselves more inspired by their patients than ever before. CCCB is comprised of seven unique cancer survivors who possess a unique perspective about the deadly disease they fight everyday. (read more)
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard Welcomes New Medical Oncologists - Doctors Germaine Blaine and Craig Badolato Join Medical Oncology Team (Jan. 21, 2011)
MELBOURNE, Fla. – In its continued efforts to provide Brevard County residents access to highly trained cancer specialists, Cancer Care Centers of Brevard recently announced that board certified medical oncologists Germaine M. Blaine, M.D. and Craig J. Badolato, M.D. have joined the prestigious medical oncology team at its state-of-the-art cancer centers.
“We are excited to welcome Drs. Blaine and Badolato to our medical oncology team,” said Silas J. Charles, M.D., medical director of Cancer Centers of Brevard. “We are confident that their experience and dedication to cancer prevention and treatment will have an immediate impact on the cancer centers and our served communities.” (read more)
Cancer Won’t Stop Doctor — or His Work
FLORIDA TODAY (Nov. 22, 2009) - by John A. Torres
Dr. Silas Charles credits
his father for shaping the
man he became. He credits
his own battle with cancer
for helping shape his future.
The founder of the Cancer
Care Foundation,
which treats anyone
whether they can afford to
pay or not, considers philanthropy
and compassion
away of life.
Charles was born into a
middle-class family in 1947
in Sakhinetipalli, India. His
father, Palaparthi Charles,
was the principal at a local
high school. He stressed to
his children the value of education
and the importance
of giving back. “My father was very
strong about helping others,
and he was my mentor,”
Charles said. “And
through him, I recognized
the value of giving. And
there is a reward from it:
your own satisfactions.” (read more)
Dr. Silas Charles, Founder - Cancer Care
Centers of Brevard
CCC Venture with Vantage Creates Leading Cancer Center
BBN - Vol. 27 No. 38 (Sept. 21, 2009) - by Ken Datzman
Dr. Silas Charles, a radiation oncologist,
has never given up on his longtime
ambition and vision of creating a one–stop,
comprehensive cancer center of excellence
in Brevard County, a facility to stand up
against other such centers in Central
Florida.
He has practiced medicine here for the
past three decades, and is one of the
county’s best–known, community–minded
physicians.
In the mid–1980s, Dr. Charles founded
the Cancer Care Centers of Brevard. He
built and expanded the enterprise, now
with four locations in the region. Dr.
Charles made big investments in cutting–
edge technologies, such as the noninvasive
CyberKnife radiosurgery system, and
added specialized physicians to his staff.
Recently, the practice welcomed its
ninth physician to the team, Dr. Diely
Pichardo. She joins physicians Todd
Panarese, Nicola Ally, Fe Pancito,
Giuseppe Palermo, Ravi Shankar, Carl
Tahn, and Isaac Esseesse at the center.
One year ago Dr. Charles reached out to
Vantage Oncology Inc., a fast–growing
national operator of radiation–oncology
centers, and partnered with the private
Manhattan Beach, Calif., (read more)
Cancer Care Centers of Brevard is reaching new heights in the market since partnering with Vantage Oncology Inc. of California, a fast–growing operator
of oncology centers around the nation. The Melbourne–based center, founded by Dr. Silas Charles, recently welcomed its ninth physician,
Dr. Diely
Pichardo.
From left, the physician team includes: Nicola Ally, MD,
Todd Panarese, MD, Isaac Esseesse, MD, Ed Mercado (V.P., Corporate Development, Vantage
Oncology), Fe Pancito, MD, Giuseppe Palermo, MD, Silas J. Charles, MD,
Diely Pichardo, MD, Carl Tahn, MD, and Ravi Shankar, MD.
