GREENWICH – The Planning and Zoning Commission last week unanimously approved the construction of the Smilow Cancer Hospital inside the walls of Greenwich Hospital.
The P&Z Commission at its June 17 meeting approved the hospital’s application for a Final Site Plan and Special Permit, to renovate the Watson, and Cohen Pavilions, to accommodate their use as a Smilow Cancer Center. That includes an internal alteration of the pavilions, affecting more than 20,000 square feet in an H-1 or H-2 Zone, with related site work, on properties located at 5 Perryridge Road and 77 Lafayette Place in the H-1 and H-2 Zones.
“We are so grateful to the members of Planning and Zoning for their thoughtful and diligent consideration of our proposal,” said Robert Blenderman, PA, MBA, Greenwich Hospital president. “By partnering with the town in developing and evolving our proposal over the years, we are now perfectly situated to fulfill our mission to provide state-of-the-art cancer care in the right environment with expert medical staff.”
As an extension of Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, one of the nation’s pre-eminent cancer hospitals and the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state, the new Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich will expand offerings for those seeking care and eliminate the need to travel longer distances for treatments that Greenwich does not currently offer.
With the approval Greenwich Hospital can bring additional dedicated disease teams to the hospital, complementing Greenwich and Yale New Haven Health’s existing team of nationally recognized specialists.
“As a long-time supporter of Greenwich Hospital and a lifetime Greenwich resident, I am both excited and thankful to see the Smilow Cancer Hospital become a reality,” said Robert Berkley, Greenwich Hospital Board of Trustees chair. “This new center will provide Greenwich residents with exceptional care delivered by some of the nation’s most prominent and highly respected physicians and nurses in a space that allows for the growth of new and needed services.”
The number of cancer cases are rising. In Greenwich alone, cancer rates in areas such as bladder, liver, lung, skin, pancreatic and prostate cancer will grow more than 10 percent in the next 10 years.
The new offerings will build on Greenwich Hospital’s existing cancer resources, including imaging, surgery, private oncology rooms and women’s cancer services – ultimately providing cohesive care and wraparound healthcare in one central setting.
“Cancer care is currently undergoing rapid and epic transformation at multiple levels throughout the continuum, from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and also palliative and end-of-life care,” said Dr. William K. Oh, service line medical director of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich and director of Precision Medicine for Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. “These improvements have focused on bettering the outcomes and experience of patients diagnosed with cancer.
“What was impossible just five years ago is now possible because of these advancements and thanks to the Commission’s decision, we will now be able to offer more multidisciplinary teams with disease-specific experts and serve the patients of this community with the highest level of cancer care.”
The 206-bed Greenwich Hospital is a member of Yale New Haven Health serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. It is an academic affiliate of Yale School of Medicine.
Partnering with the Yale Cancer Center, the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven offers more than 300 open clinical trials.
