Wilmington, Delaware, May 9, 2019

Christiana Care Health System’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute is the first in Delaware to achieve the American Society of Radiation Oncology Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx) accreditation of its Radiation Oncology Department.

The Graham Cancer Center earned the four-year accreditation for the radiation oncology services it provides at both its main location at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute in Newark, Delaware, and at the Concord Health Center in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

“We are honored to be recognized as a center of excellence in the delivery of radiation oncology,” said Adam Raben, M.D., chair of Christiana Care Radiation Oncology. “APEx accreditation validates the efforts of our entire radiation oncology team to deliver patient-centered care that meets the highest possible standards.”

APEx is an independent radiation oncology practice accreditation program developed by the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the largest radiation oncology society in the world, to support quality improvement and safety in radiation therapy and patient care.

“This accreditation is yet another demonstration of the outstanding cancer care that we provide—and that Delawareans can count on, close to home,” said Nicholas J. Petrelli, M.D., Bank of America endowed medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. “Our voluntary accreditation by APEx confirms our commitment to best practices in providing high quality, safe radiation oncology services to our community.”

APEx accreditation is a rigorous, multi-step process that evaluates policies and procedures using consensus-based standards for radiation oncology practice. Evaluation includes a self-assessment process as well as a facility visit conducted by a radiation oncologist and a medical physicist.

“We spent over a year reviewing all of our policies, standards of care, standard operating procedures and documentation throughout our main department and at the Concord Health Center,” said Dr. Raben. “We believe it is important for our community to know that our radiation oncology service is held to the highest possible standards.”

Christiana Care radiation oncologists are leaders in adapting the very latest imaging and treatment advances into clinical practice. The team also helps write the standards for best practices in care delivery and teaches other doctors and health care professionals in this specialty.

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About the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute
The Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, a National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program, is part of the ChristianaCare, one of the country’s most dynamic health systems, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. With more than 245,000 patient visits last year, the Graham Cancer Center is recognized as a national model for multidisciplinary cancer care and a top enroller in U.S. clinical research trials. In conjunction with the Gene Editing Institute, the Center for Translational Cancer Research, the Tissue Procurement Center, statewide High-Risk Family Cancer Registry and collaborations with world-renowned scientists at facilities such as The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia scientists are opening new avenues to more quickly translate cancer science into cancer medicine. For more information, visit christianacare.org/cancer.

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