Baptist Eastpoint adding radiation therapy

Just months after its January 2009 opening, the Baptist Eastpoint outpatient center is expanding – with construction underway to add radiation therapy for cancer patients.

The 7,000-square feet center will have a linear accelerator with Intense Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) capability, a CT scanner, treatment planning areas, and conference/education space.

IMRT allows very small beams of radiation with varying intensities to be aimed at a tumor from many angles. The result is radiation treatments that conform even more to the shape of the tumor than standard treatment, with two major benefits: delivering a higher dose of radiation to the tumor and minimizing the dose to the healthy tissue that surrounds it.

The radiation center will be more convenient for patients living in Eastern Jefferson, Oldham and Shelby counties. They will find familiar faces at the center, as the same radiation oncologists who provide services at Baptist Hospital East will be at Baptist Eastpoint -- Ben Birkhead, MD; James Eckman, MD; and Carrie Scharf, MD.

Workers from Lloyd Bilyeu Construction Company of Louisville are building the $6.6 million project, set to open this fall.

Baptist Eastpoint, located in the Eastpoint Business Center near Anchorage, is a convenient alternative for outpatient surgery, diagnostic services, physical therapy, and urgent care. The $63 million center opened in January 2009, featuring four surgical suites outfitted for a variety of same-day procedures – from ear tubes to weight-loss surgery to bone spur removal. Endoscopy procedures, such as colonoscopy, can also be performed in one of two special rooms at the Baptist Eastpoint Surgery Center. The building also includes physician offices, including a Baptist Medical Associates office.

Baptist Eastpoint is located at 2400 Eastpoint Parkway in the Eastpoint Business Center. Learn more and take a virtual tour at baptisteastpoint.com or by calling (502) 897-8131.