Pompton Plains Family Joins Chilton Oncologist in Funding Life-Saving Enhancement Project at the Cancer Center

Chilton Hospital announced today that a Pompton Plains family joined Dov Gorshein, MD, to fund a project that will support life-saving enhancements to the Cancer Center at Chilton Hospital.

The generous pledge made by Steve and Bonnie Holmes and their Family Foundation will enable the hospital to create The Holmes Gorshein Center for Radiation Therapy, a comprehensive, patient-centered Radiation Therapy program. It will also fund the purchase of a new linear accelerator equipped with state-of-the-art technology called image guided radiation therapy, or IGRT. The accelerator, comparable to those found in major academic medical centers, targets cancerous tumors with pinpoint accuracy and reduces the exposure of healthy tissue and vital organs during radiation treatments.

“Our family felt this was a project that could make a profound difference in the quality of health care delivered to our community,” said Steve Holmes, who is the chairman and chief executive officer of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. “The Holmes Gorshein Center for Radiation Therapy will empower Chilton, our community hospital, to meet a critical need in our region. Our communities face a high incidence of cancer and this center will offer patients access to world class radiation technology in a healing and comforting environment. It will benefit patients, physicians, staff and local residents for years to come — and we are honored to be a part of it.”

The new Holmes Gorshein Center for Radiation Therapy, is named in part for Dr. Dov Gorshein, who chairs the Chilton Hospital Radiation Oncology Department.

“Dr. Gorshein possesses a rare and impressive combination of expertise, experience and dedication to the community – qualities that complement and advance the hospital’s critical mission,” added Holmes.

The Holmeses are active in numerous philanthropic and community-minded causes. Mrs. Holmes is the president of the board of trustees for NewBridge Services, a nonprofit community provider of mental health, substance abuse, housing, youth and senior. She is also the co-founder of a women’s volunteer outreach program, Women’s Hand in Mission (WHIM), which focuses on providing service to those in need. Mr. Holmes served on the board of trustees for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest NJ as well as Chilton Hospital. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Bucknell University and various travel industry associations.

“We are thankful for this generous pledge from the Holmes family,” said President and CEO of Chilton Hospital Deborah K. Zastocki, DNP, RN. “Our community is at the heart of our mission, so their support is both meaningful and appreciated. We are embarking on investments to further transform the hospital and ensure our communities receive access to world-class care. Cancer care is among the vital services we are targeting.”

In Northern New Jersey, where residents experience an unusually high incidence of breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers, and the prevalence of elderly adults contributes to even higher cancer treatment rates, the Cancer Center at Chilton Hospital is the link to lifesaving care, close to home. As the survival rates for all cancers steadily increases, it is anticipated that patients with cancer will continue to live longer, requiring more follow-up care and increasing the demand for cancer diagnosis and treatment services.

“Having this kind of state-of-the-art radiation treatment close to home is a tremendous benefit for the Chilton community,” said Bonnie Holmes. “People who have cancer are concerned not only with the quality of their cancer treatment but the quality of their lives and those who care for them. Whatever can be done to deliver leading edge, compassionate care as close to home as possible, will benefit quality of life.”

Located at the crossroads of Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties, Chilton Hospital is a fully accredited acute care hospital committed to providing innovative patient care in a compassionate and healing environment. Annually, it serves more than 160,000 patients across 33 communities.

Chilton recently launched a $24 million renovation and modernization project which ensures an exceptional level of care by combining clinical excellence with a focus on a personalized patient experience. Newly completed areas include: the renowned Comprehensive Breast Center, providing supportive care and state-of-the-art technology to find and diagnose breast cancer early; the Cardiovascular Interventional Lab, offering a full range of life-saving heart and vascular procedures; and award-winning The Total Joint Center featuring private rooms and outstanding amenities for joint replacement patients.

The Chilton Hospital Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees. All gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent currently allowed by law.

To learn more about the Chilton Hospital Foundation, or to make a gift, visit www.chiltonhealth.org or call the Foundation office at 973-831-5165.

Chilton Hospital is a fully accredited, 260-bed, acute-care, community hospital. It is a four-time recipient of the HealthGrades Specialty Excellence Award in Stroke, and Five-Star Rated for Stroke Care, the highest possible, for six years in a row. It is also Five-Star Rated for Joint Replacement and Total Knee Replacement for 2012. Chilton’s many services include minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery, a state-of-the-art Emergency Department, a Pain Management center, the Sleep Health Institute, the Comprehensive Wound Healing/Hyperbaric Center, the Chilton Cancer Center, the Mother/Baby Center, an American Diabetes Association-recognized diabetes education program and a weight loss surgery program. Chilton has recently embarked on a $24 million modernization project, which includes the Cardiovascular Interventional Lab, the Comprehensive Breast Center and the Total Joint Center. The hospital is located at 97 West Parkway in Pompton Plains, NJ 07444. For more information about Chilton's facilities and services, or to find a doctor by name, specialty, or location, please visit www.chiltonhealth.org or call 1-888-CHILTON.