Annual Report 2004
United in Our Vision

Backus Hospital has had a year of growth, recognition and achievement. In all we have accomplished, we have held true to our vision to provide high quality, safe, comprehensive services.

There is perhaps no better example of that than our designation this past year as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center. Fewer than one in four cancer centers nationwide earn this status from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The steps your Hospital took to achieve this milestone illustrate how visionary thinking, strategic planning and careful implementation combine to achieve our goal.

Our planning began nearly a decade ago, when the state decided to close the Uncas on the Thames Hospital in Norwich, which at the time provided the region’s radiation therapy needs. We looked at this potential void in cancer care as an opportunity to realign and modernize cancer care delivery at Backus.

In partnership with the Yale University School of Medicine, we outlined a plan that would allow for state-of-the-art radiation therapy delivery, allowing Backus to deliver truly comprehensive care for cancer patients, in their own community.

By 1998, through the planning and visionary thinking of our Board and Administration, as well as donations from our generous benefactors, the Dr. Sultan Ahamed Radiation Therapy Center opened in the new Medical Office Building on the Hospital campus.

The benefits of having medical and surgical oncology and radiation therapy in one central location were highlighted by our designation as a Community Cancer Center three years ago, and as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center in 2004. The latest designation recognizes the broad spectrum of cancer care we offer, from medical oncology to surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, pain management, support groups and community cancer education.

We know we cannot be content to admire our accomplishments. To be on the forefront of cancer care, we must plan well into the future. That’s why, in the past year, we added PETCT and 16-Slice CT scans to our already vast array of Diagnostic Imaging modalities. It is why we are planning to add Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) with a second linear accelerator in the near future, to benefit our growing numbers of cancer patients.

During the past year, Backus Hospital has developed and enhanced comprehensive programs in other areas, as well.

With diabetes as the nation’s fastest-growing health problem, we worked to create a comprehensive center for dealing with this illness and related health issues. That’s why we opened our new Backus Outpatient Care Center at Great Plain Plaza. There, we provide diabetes, wound care and endocrinology services, all located under one roof, conveniently located off Interstate 395 and Route 82 in Norwich.

The Outpatient Care Center will be the site of other services, as well. We are planning to provide two hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers for treatment of wounds — the only one in eastern Connecticut. An arthritis center is also envisioned, to benefit the many patients in eastern Connecticut who currently have to travel long distances to treat diseases of the joints, muscles and bones.

Strategic vision involves seeing beyond what’s there. Less than a year ago, our Great Plain Plaza location was a cavernous, vacant department store. Today, it is being transformed into a high-tech healthcare facility.

The new Colchester Backus Health Center is another example of how your Hospital increases access to comprehensive services off the main Hospital campus. This state-of-the-art facility in Connecticut’s fastest-growing town is double the size of its predecessor and offers new services such as mammograms and ultrasounds; and a four-slice CT scanner and MRI, all connected to the Hospital by special high-speed computer connection.

One year ago, the Hospital purchased a contaminated piece of land on Matlack Drive in Norwich, behind the Hospital. Today, the industrial contamination left by the previous owner has been completely removed, and the property can be returned to productive use. Backus Hospital is a good corporate citizen.

Times have changed. Our communities have changed. Healthcare has certainly changed. But one thing that hasn’t changed is Backus Hospital’s ability to bring creative solutions to complex problems we face in our community.