WASHINGTON SECURES GRANT FOR CHESTNUT HILL HOSPITAL

          PHILADELPHIA, October 17 – State Senator Leanna M. Washington (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) today announced a grant in the amount of $250,000 to Chestnut Hill Hospital in Montgomery County.

          “I am very happy to support the hospital’s new cancer center,” Washington said.

          Senator Washington presented the check to the hospital’s CEO Rodney Reider at a check signing ceremony at the hospital.  The funds will support the addition of a new state of the art cancer center with a linear accelerator. The new addition is being built to replace a 27-year old linear accelerator in a new, patient friendly environment.

            “This new accelerator is considered the next generation in radiation therapy technology,” Washington said.  “This puts the hospital on the cutting edge in terms of advancements in this area.”

          The new linear accelerator is most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer, and delivers a uniform dose of high-energy x-ray to the region of the patient’s tumor.  These x-rays destroy the cancer cells, while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.