TOP STORIES

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    May 25, 2013

    Five men are ordained permanent deacons for Diocese of Springfield


    (Photos by Fred LeBlanc)

    By Terence Hegarty
    SPRINGFIELD – Five men were ordained permanent deacons for the Diocese of Springfield as part of

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  • 2 of 4


    May 24, 2013

    Bishop urges prayers, help for Oklahoma tornado victims


    (CNS photos/Rick Wilking, Reuters)

    Staff report

    SPRINGFIELD – In a letter sent to parishes on May 23, Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell urged local Catholics to pray for and,

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  • 3 of 4


    May 23, 2013

    Year of Faith speaker uses art, humor to illustrate the importance of faith

    By Kaitlyn Swierzewski
    (Photo by Peggy Weber)

    WESTFIELD – Brother Mickey McGrath, of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, helped the Diocese of Springfield celebrate the Year of Faith and Pentecost with talks at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Parish, here, on May 21 and 22.

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    May 22, 2013

    Local religious educators are honored with Pope Pius X Award

    Story and photos by Julie Beaulieu
    PITTSFIELD – “This is a wonderful honor,” said Karen Blefari of St. Agnes Parish in Dalton after receiving the Pope Pius X Award

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Feb 20, 2013

Sister Caritas Cancer Center earns radiology accreditation

 

REGIONAL


(Photo courtesy of Mercy Medical Center)

Staff report

SPRINGFIELD – The Sister Caritas Cancer Center at Mercy Medical Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain.

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with nearly 500 accredited sites, and 25 years of accreditation experience.

The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety.  It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field.  Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. 

The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.

“At the Sister Caritas Cancer Center, our staff of dedicated professionals is firmly committed to providing state-of the-art technology and treatment to our patients in a comfortable setting,” said Dr. Catherine Carton, medical director of the Sister Caritas Cancer Center and chairperson of the Cancer Program. “This accreditation is independent validation that we are successfully fulfilling that commitment to quality, safety and excellence.”

The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physician, and medical physicists, with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.