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New lung center offers team approach

The facility will use teamwork to make diagnosis and treatment smoother. It also will help patients get swifter care.

By CHRISTINA K. COSDON
Published August 12, 2005

CLEARWATER - The sad news of veteran ABC News anchor Peter Jennings' death and Dana Reeves' own diagnosis of lung cancer prompted officials at Morton Plant Hospital to announce several weeks early the opening of a long-planned lung center at the hospital.

For the first time, all services dealing with respiratory problems and diseases will be funneled through one location: the Barrett Rehabilitation Center. Physicians dealing with lung cancer diagnosis and treatment - pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, oncologists and radiation oncologists - will work as a team through the center.

"This is something that's been in the works for over a year, but given recent events, we want to raise awareness and let the community know we have and will be providing these services," Morton Plant spokeswoman Amy Morrow said.

The program is headed by Dr. Eli Freilich, the hospital's medical director of respiratory services.

"We never had a team approach before," Freilich said, "where there was one place that collected the data and provided a team of physicians the information for diagnosis and treatment."

Here's how patients will be able to use the center:

Anyone with a question regarding lung problems or who is experiencing a lung problem can call the center at 461-8904. A team of three respiratory therapists, one of them a nurse, will take calls.

An appointment will be made for an evaluation and referral to a specialist. All the information from tests will be sent directly to the center.

Once a diagnosis is made, the lung center will facilitate the necessary followup, Freilich said.

The centralized location "is a way of helping patients deal with lung disease and a way of helping them work through the system to be evaluated in a more rapid fashion," he said. "It also will serve as a support system for patients and their families."

An existing smoking cessation program, an asthma management program and a rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be coordinated through the center.

The concept of the center, Freilich said, "is that this is a community hospital looking at dealing with lung disease in a team approach manner."

Barrett Rehabilitation Center is at 430 Pinellas St., Clearwater.

Lung center hours will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. .

[Last modified August 12, 2005, 00:46:18]