Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. V M A R C H 1 0 , 2 0 2 5 14 L I F E S C I E N C E S / I N N OVAT I O N N ew England Cancer Specialists' newly-opened facility at Westbrook's Rock Row is designed to treat all of a patient's needs — physical, mental and emotional — in one location. By offering a full range of diagnostic tests, treatments and support services under one roof, the center aims to ease some of the anxiety of the cancer experience. Mainebiz got a tour of the 71,000-square-foot facility in late February, with Claire Cote, the center's chief operations officer. It's an impressive building, high- ceilinged and flooded with natural light. e design aesthetic is contem- porary, yet warm. Walls and furnish- ings are soothing shades of blue, light grey and cream. Large windows offer views to the wooded areas that dot the property. Page Architecture, with offices from Boston to San Francisco, man- aged the building's design, with patient input on floor plans, lighting, paint colors and even the selection of art for the walls. e goal is to provide the high- est level of care in a comforting environment. "ere are 10,000 firsts when you walk in our doors. Anxiety is high, we understand that. I myself have had cancer twice, once as a child and once as an adult. I know what our patients are going through," Cote says. In fact, 60% of the staff at the new facility have been touched by the disease, either personally or through a loved one's diagnosis. at connec- tion informs every aspect of care at the center, where each opportunity for patient comfort seems to have been thoroughly considered. One example is the infusion area for chemotherapy and other medica- tions. e space is divided into a series of mini-rooms, separated by partitions and with curtains that can be drawn for privacy, features not commonly found in treatment arenas. Integration of services is a priority Cote says the vision for the center, "has been four years in the making." NECS worked closely with Needham, Mass.-based Waterstone Properties, Rock Row's developer, to hand-pick partner tenants to fulfill the concept for integrated holistic care. e $140 million Rock Row health campus is the medical anchor of the 110-acre, $600 million mixed-use development. Already on the property is a mix of retail including Market Basket, REI, Chase, Starbucks and a Chick-fil-A. Plans call for a total of 20 restaurants including a food hall, and 750 housing units will be built at the complex. e Rock Row facility is the larg- est of the practice's four locations — in Kennebunk and Topsham and in Portsmouth, N.H. — and offers the most comprehensive host of services, including testing, imaging, hema- tology and chemotherapy. On-site surgery and health and nutrition counseling are being phased in over the next few months. Cote expects to see 10,000 patients annually at the new center, 20,000 total across all of the NECS centers. (e two Scarborough facilities have been consolidated at Rock Row and are now closed.) Disease numbers in the state largely mirror national statistics, though our rates of lung cancer are higher due to the large number of smokers, Cote notes. In addition to lung cancer, NECS sees the highest number of patients presenting with cancers of the breast, gastrointestinal system, blood cancers and cancers of the bladder, kidney and prostate. "Nationally, we're also seeing younger people getting colon cancer, 20- to 30-year-olds," Cote says. "We're catch- ing it earlier, but it's very concerning and most likely related to diet." Rock Row unveils medical campus New cancer center at Rock Row provides uniquely comprehensive patient care B y T i n a F i s c h e r F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Dr. Chiara Battelli, left, president of New England Cancer Specialists, and COO Claire Cote oversee the newest treatment center, at Rock Row in Westbrook.

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