By Courtney Schmoll—
NEW CASTLE, IN —Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Cancer Center in New Castle will start delivering radiation to cancer patients using a brand-new Linear Accelerator. This device is an enhancement to the equipment previously used in this space at the Forest Ridge Medical Pavilion in New Castle, and it is widely considered to be a state-of-the-art piece of equipment in cancer care.
This machine has improved image quality and features that will help to target specific needs for each patient, including more precision for delivering radiation treatment. The Linear Accelerator table can tilt and roll in new and progressive ways and can be tailored to the specific anatomy of the patient. With less downtime needed for the machine to reset, there is also an increased ability to treat more patients in a day. It also comes with enhanced safety features in order to keep both the patients, and the technicians, safe.
Having this updated machine in New Castle means that cancer patients don’t need to travel out of their community to receive high quality, innovative care as it is done within miles of their homes. IU Health believes that keeping care close to home will help to reduce stress and further burdens that cancer patients often face.
“This upgrade will contribute to our broader plan to offer the highest quality cancer care consistently across the region,” stated IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital’s Oncology Service Line Leader, Joe Primavera. “IU Health’s investment into our New Castle location shows the importance of this location for our long-term care plans. We will continue to nurture our longstanding partnership with Henry Community Health as we seek to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.”
About Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital
IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital serves as a tertiary referral center and teaching hospital for East Central Indiana and part of Indiana University Health. IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and maintains 1.2 million square feet of facilities. It is part of an elite group of hospitals with Magnet designation for nursing excellence. More than 17,700 patients are admitted every year and more than 300,000 outpatient procedures are completed annually. Jeff Bird, MD, is President. Learn more at iuhealth.org/ball-memorial.
