Northwell expands in Queens with new $52M Rego Park office
Northwell Health at Rego Park, a new $52 million multispecialty facility, includes a large outpatient cancer center. Credit: Lee Weissman/Northwell Health
Northwell Health has opened a $52 million medical office and cancer institute in central Queens, which the health care system says will reduce capacity concerns in regional hospitals and help diversify the pool of patients enrolled in clinical trials.
Northwell Health at Rego Park, a 70,000-square-foot facility, will include a Cancer Institute, specialists in several other areas, a lab, a pharmacy and imaging center. The new hub will make care more convenient for Queens residents Northwell treats sometimes in Manhattan and on Long Island, according to Dr. John D'Angelo, senior vice president and regional director in Queens and much of Nassau County.
He said the new office would alleviate some of the pressure on regional hospitals, which often operate near capacity.
"If we can provide services closer to home, if we can keep people ambulatory that are on the fence of whether or not they need to be in a hospital or not, we do what we can to optimize that," he said.
The $32 million Cancer Institute has an infusion center, 42 private treatment areas and several medical/surgical oncology suites. Its staff provides oncology care, diagnostic and screening services as well as assistance with side effects from treatment. Nutritional guidance and genetic counseling will also be available.
The Cancer Institute can enroll patients in clinical trials, which can improve peoples' outcomes by giving them access to the newest treatments. D'Angelo said trials tend to occur in less diverse communities, so pulling patients from Queens will improve the studies' results.
"Queens is one of the most diverse communities in the country," he said, noting that some treatments work better in certain demographics than in others. "The medications effect some people differently, and sometimes there's a genetic component to that."
Northwell, the largest health care provider in the state, treats about 19,000 New Yorkers with cancer each year, the organization said.
Besides the Cancer Institute, the Rego Park location will have labs, a pharmacy and an imaging center. The facility will be staffed by specialists in several areas, including bariatrics and weight management, cardiology, endocrinology, pediatrics, HIV, neurology and obstetrics and gynecology.
Sarina Trangle covers affordability and cost of living issues and other business topics. She previously worked as an editor and reporter at amNewYork.
